RWBY Grand Prix
by jws381
Summary: Two young drivers from storied racing families are teamed up for their rookie year in F1. Can they coexist in the world's deadliest sport? RWBY 1960's Formula 1 AU. Dedicated to Monty. *Continued in Formula RWBY*
1. Rookie

**Author's Note: This story is inspired by history but will contain historical inaccuracies and anachronisms for plot reasons. At the end of each chapter, I'll be pointing out the inspirations and inaccuracies.**

Chapter 1

 _12 Years Ago_

With only two races remaining in the Formula 1 championship only two drivers still had a shot at the title. Beacon GP Racing had dominated the season, winning all but one of the races contested so far, with their drivers sweeping the top two spots four times. Summer Rose sat second in points, just one point behind. Taiyang Xiao-Long, her husband, led the championship. A married couple, teammates and best friends, it was as friendly a rivalry as possible in the cutthroat world of Grand Prix racing.

The final race would take place in Atlas, but now the championship was in Vale. The Forever Fall Forest Circuit was the fastest in the world. Roughly boot-shaped with fast, sweeping turns, it cut through a scene of natural beauty, surrounded by the ancient forest. The circuit had varying reputations. Fans loved it because of the fast close racing and often unpredictable winners that emerged. Mechanics loved it because it made their lives easier. Handling counted for almost nothing compared to engine power. As a result, engine builders dreaded it. The drivers dreaded it as well. Speed was dangerous, and over the years many had succumbed to it.

Thirty-three laps into the fifty lap distance saw Summer Rose in the lead. Taiyang Xiao-Long ran a close second, the pair drafting around the circuit. By working together they set a blistering pace the rest of the field could not match. They would fight it out at the end but for now they were content to ride line astern to continue gapping the field.

Thundering down the back straight, Summer checked her mirrors. Taiyang was tucked in just behind her, a big smile on his face. She was smiling too. This was what she lived for, leading a race with the love of her life just behind. The final turn was just ahead, a sharp, unwinding 180° turn that was subtly chambered to the benefit of the cars. Summer pressed down on the brake pedal. It went straight to the floor. She released it and tried again. Nothing. She closed her eyes and prayed as the car barrelled into the turn going far too fast.

Taiyang could immediately tell something was wrong. As soon as he touched the brakes Summer's car shot ahead. He thought at first she had misjudged the corner, but her car never slowed. Her gleaming silver car shot off the track, sent airborne by the slight banking of the corner. It bounced once in the grass before striking the armco barrier beyond. The car disintegrated and burst into flames as it launched into the sky. Summer was thrown from the car, sailed through the air like a rag doll, then landed somewhere out of view beyond the barrier.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The crowd roared as the cigar-shaped cars screamed past the grandstands to begin the final lap of the Grand Patch F2 Grand Prix. In her sleek silver car, hometown driver Yang Xiao-Long ran third in only her first F2 race. For Yang the day had not started nearly as well. In time trials she had suffered engine trouble and only managed a 17th place starting position. Though she had successfully repaired the damage for the race and was far more skilled than most of the drivers that deep in the field, the circuit layout made passing difficult and halfway through the race she sat 12th.

Then everything changed. It began to rain, the downpour steadily increasing to monsoon-like intensity. It was just what Yang needed. Her car was ideally suited to the conditions and her skill on a wet track was unmatched by any other driver in the race. Before she knew it she was third with five laps remaining, the two leaders having gapped the rest of the field by a comfortable margin. Despite the lead, the top two were struggling. Teammates Red Henman and Ben Wolffe ran nose to tail out front and were too busy trying to keep their cars on the road to worry about the distant competition. Yang smelled blood. Battling through the blinding spray on a track as slick as ice, she clawed into their lead, closing in by big chunks until with one lap remaining she had caught them.

After a crest the track dove steeply down to the right for the first turn. In second Wolffe got it badly wrong. He slid wide, dropped his tire into the grass and his green car spun back across the track. Yang zipped to his left as he careened into the armco barrier on the inside of the turn. The track ran down through a dip where the cars splashed through a large puddle, then uphill into a tight right hairpin. Yang had lost time slowing to avoid Wolffe but gained some back on entry to the second corner. Heading back downhill the two cars slid through a left-hander, both on the very edge of control. After a short straight another turn wound to the left. Yang got a good exit, closing on Henman as they ran down the track's longest straightaway. Down through a valley and then steeply uphill Yang followed, poking her nose to the right of Henman on entry to the right turn at the end of the straight.

Henman cut his black car across the track and blocked. Yang slammed on the brakes, her car turning almost all the way sideways before she regained control. Henman opened the gap again but promptly threw away his lead as he skidded through a puddle in the middle of the following right-hand turn. Downhill and uphill again, Yang closed in as the cars swept through another right. Yang hung back a little down the short straight to the sharp left turn ahead. Slowing extra on entry to get a better exit, Yang launched off the corner. The last corner was ahead, a right-hander that led to the finish straight. Henman knew Yang was close and hugged the right side of the track, protecting the preferred line. With no other choice Yang drove up alongside him on the left.

The drive into the final turn was a battle of nerves. Yang drove in as deep as she dared, knowing Henman had the preferred line. They rounded the turn side-by side, their tires spinning and their cars throwing up impenetrable spray in their wakes. Yang's tires found a little more traction and she edged just ahead of Henman as the two cars flashed past the checkered flag. Yang pumped her fist in the air as the cars made their way back around. She had never dreamed that her first race in the series would also be her first win. Winning a race so close to home, at a track she had visited since she was a child, was a dream come true.

Yang pulled her car into the winner's circle. She took off her goggles and bright yellow helmet and placed them atop the front of the car. Immediately Ruby Rose, her sister and mechanic, was beside the car. It was just as much a win and dream come true for Ruby. She had designed and built the car. She had even rebuilt and tuned its second-hand engine. Ruby helped Yang undo her belts. Yang stood in the seat, her hands raised in triumph and then hopped out of the car. A man in a suit handed her a trophy from one side while the track's beauty queen stood on the other. Yang held her trophy high as flashbulbs popped then grabbed the beauty queen and planted a kiss on her cheek.

That was the end of the celebration. The gathered crowd scrambled for cover from the still torrential rain, leaving Ruby and Yang alone with a few reporters. "Do you mind packing up while I do these interviews?" Yang asked.

"No problem." Ruby said, still riding the wave of excitement. Yang handed her the trophy and Ruby placed the trophy on the car's seat along with the helmet and goggles. Ruby pushed the car back to the paddock as Yang answered questions and posed for more pictures. She was clearly loving every minute of it. Ruby might have been stuck with the grunt work but she was loving it too. Just being a mechanic in motorsports was a dream she had worked her whole life to achieve. Now she was a winner too.

* * *

Ruby packed up her tools and put them in the back of the van. With that squared away she hitched the trailer to it before rolling Yang's car aboard. As she tightened the straps holding it in place, an older man approached, a cane in one hand and a mug of what must have been very watered-down coffee in the other. "Can I help you?" Ruby asked. She finished tying the car down and took the helmet, goggles and trophy out of the seat. She walked to the passenger's door, opened it, and placed the objects inside before closing it again.

"Ruby Rose, you've got a silver car." The man said. "It's quite the car I might add."

"I designed and built it myself." Ruby said with pride. "I call her Crescent Rose, Mk. 2. Really though, it wouldn't matter without my sister to drive it. She's amazing."

"That's an interesting design." The man continued. He pointed to the car's nose. "I've only ever seen one designer use that shape, a dusty old Qrow."

"You know my uncle?" Ruby asked. "He taught me everything I know about building race cars."

"Why the interest in motorsports?" The man asked. "A girl of your age doesn't exactly fit the profile of a typical mechanic."

"Both of my parents were drivers and my uncle was their mechanic." Ruby explained. "I guess I wanted to experience it for myself. It's actually a lot of fun, especially on days like this."

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked.

"Of course I do." Ruby replied. "You're Ozpin. You run Beacon GP Racing."

"Very good." Ozpin said. "I take it you want to be an F1 mechanic then?"

"More than anything." Ruby said.

"You're hired." Ozpin said.

"I...what...are you joking?" Ruby stammered.

"What's going on?" Yang asked, walking over. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm entirely serious." Ozpin assured Ruby.

"Ozpin?!" Yang exclaimed. "I've always wanted to meet you. My parents spoke so highly of you."

"Well Ruby, what do you say?" Ozpin asked, ignoring Yang for the moment.

"I...I'd love to, but I can't just leave Yang behind." Ruby said. "As much as I'd love to work in F1, being my sister's mechanic is all I've ever wanted to do."

"Well then Yang, how would you like to come drive for me in Formula 1?" Ozpin asked. "I'd be happy to have the both of you on my team."

"Me?" Yang gasped. "But I've only ever driven one F2 race! I only started racing at all last year."

"Yeah, and this is only the second car I've ever built." Ruby said. "I'm hopeless when it comes to engines too."

"I've never gotten so much resistance from people I was trying to hire." Ozpin laughed. "Yang, I can already tell you're a special talent behind the wheel. Ruby, this may be only the second car you've built but it's a masterpiece. Don't worry about engines either, I have someone for that already. What I need are a great driver and a skilled mechanic. I can't think of anyone better than the two of you to fill those roles."

"I'll do it." Yang said. She reached out her hand and Ozpin shook it.

"And you?" Ozpin asked, holding his hand toward Ruby.

"I'm in too!" Ruby exclaimed. She was about to shake Ozpin's hand but stopped herself short. "My hand's pretty greasy, I really shouldn't shake…" Ozpin grabbed her hand and shook it. "Well okay then."

"This is wonderful." Ozpin said. "I look forward to working with you both."

* * *

"Welcome to the Vale Grand Prix." Ozpin said as Yang arrived at the team's garage. It was a truly unique race, the sport's crown jewel. The track ran through the twisting city streets of Vale's wealthiest, most exclusive district. "Practice starts in a few hours. Your sister has already prepared the cars for you and your teammate."

Ruby emerged from the garage, her overalls smeared with grease and oil. "Yep, Crescent Rose Mk. 3 is ready to go." Ruby said. A pair of shiny silver cars sat in the garage. They were fundamentally the same as the car Ruby had built for Yang in F2, with modifications made to meet the rules and heavier, more-powerful engine of F1.

"So, who is my teammate?" Yang asked. "Last week you still hadn't signed anyone."

"You'll meet her soon." Ozpin replied.

"I'd like to know who worked on the engines for that matter." Ruby said. "They look like Merlot engines but with a ton of custom parts. I'm sure whoever made them could teach me a lot."

"She prefers to work at night, but she should be here soon as well." Ozpin said. "Why don't the two of you take a walk to get acquainted with your competition. Hold on." Ozpin stepped away. "Dr. Oobleck!" He called.

A tall, bespectacled man rushed over so quickly he seemed to teleport. "Oh, hello Ozpin." He said, speaking very quickly. "It's good to see you."

"I'd like you to meet my newest hires." Ozpin said. "This is Yang Xiao-Long, my driver, and her sister Ruby Rose, my top mechanic."

"Xiao-Long and Rose, I haven't heard those names in a while." Oobleck said with a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, it's always great to see new faces in the garage."

"Dr. Oobleck handles the commentary for the race broadcasts." Ozpin said. "Do you think you could show them around? I have some business to attend to."

"Sure thing." Oobleck said. "It'll be my pleasure. Follow me kids." He zipped off down the paddock, leaving Ruby and Yang to hurry after him. "Ah, more rookies." He said as they stepped in front of the first garage. A pair of blue cars sat inside. "Team Juniper."

Out in front, a tall red-haired girl in a racing suit stood with a red helmet tucked under her arm. "That's Pyrrha Nikos!" Yang exclaimed. "She won the F2 championship last year and her national F3 the year before that. She's unstoppable."

"She may be, but the team is in sad shape." Oobleck said. "They're so low on funds that they had to find a second driver to pay them. They got some guy from Vacuo named Jaune Arc. He seems to crash every car he drives. I hope they got the money up front because I doubt he'll last the whole year."

"I'll be sure to stay as far from him as possible." Yang said.

Inside the garage one mechanic worked meticulously on one car's suspension, carefully making measurements and tiny adjustments. The other mechanic banged on the car with a hammer. "I have no idea how those two mechanics ended up together." Oobleck said. "Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. They're both wizards when it comes to setting up cars but their techniques are entirely opposite. I guess it fits with the whole makeup of the team."

"I wonder if they could give me any tips." Ruby mused.

"They might." Oobleck said. "Ozpin is good friends with the team's owner." Oobleck zipped further on, stopping before a spotless, perfectly organized garage. Two white cars sat inside. "This is Schnee Automotive. If last year is anything to go by, they'll be the team to beat. They've got the best cars and the most powerful engines."

"Who are their drivers?" Yang asked.

"Their top driver is last year's champion Winter Schnee." Oobleck replied. "Her father owns the team but doesn't run the day-to-day operations. Their other driver is another rookie, Penny Polendina. I've never heard of her. It's like she's never driven a racecar anywhere before. Apparently the manager James Ironwood brought her in at the last minute."

"Why would a team that strong have to get a driver at the last minute?" Ruby asked.

"Apparently they had someone in mind who signed elsewhere for some reason." Oobleck shrugged. "I must admit, I find it curious as well." He zipped further on. The next garage looked a bit more normal, a pair of yellow cars inside. "This is Haven Racing Team. Their drivers are rookies too. The whole team is new in fact. Sun Wukong is the guy you'll see walking around with his shirt off and Neptune Vasilias is the tall fellow who never seems to be far away from Sun."

"It seems like there's a lot of rookies." Ruby said.

"There usually are." Oobleck said without further explanation. In a blur he was at the next garage. "Coffee Inc., a rare team of veterans." He said pointing to their brown cars. "Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi. They were quick last year. They might just have a shot at taking on Schnee."

"Haha, well if it isn't my old friend!" A portly, mustachioed man said as he walked up behind the trio.

"Oh, hello Peter." Oobleck said. He turned to Ruby and Yang. "This is Peter Port. He joins me on commentary."

"And the two of you must be Ozpin's new hires." Port said. "It's great to see young talent." He turned to Oobleck. "If you don't mind, there's a few thing's I'd like to go over before today's broadcast. Could you spare a moment?"

"Of course." Oobleck said. "Just a minute." He peered into Coffee Inc.'s garage and spotted a mechanic he recognized. "Ms. Scarletina, could I borrow you for a moment?" A thin girl with rabbit ears walked out of the garage. "These two are new members of Beacon GP. I was showing them around but I have to go. Could you take over for me?"

"No problem Dr. Oobleck." The girl said. Oobleck zipped away with Port in tow. "I'm Velvet Scarletina. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Yang Xiao-Long, driver." Yang said, shaking Velvet's hand.

"I'm Ruby Rose, mechanic." Ruby said with a wave.

"Uh...I'm not sure exactly what Dr. Oobleck wants me to do." Velvet said. "You already met the teams down that way right?" Yang and Ruby nodded in confirmation. "I don't know the others too well. They mostly keep to themselves. There's Phase Two, Cardinal Motors and WFR. I don't even know who their drivers will be this year. There's Maiden Racing too, but I've never met any of them. The last team is Team Funky. They seem more interested in the parties than the racing though. I wish I could tell you more."

"That's alright." Yang said. "I'm sure we'll get to know them soon enough."

"We should probably get back to our garage anyway." Ruby added. "Thanks though."

"If you ever need anything, just let me know." Velvet offered as Ruby and Yang walked away.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

Forever Fall Forest Circuit is based on Monza.

The flashback championship situation is inspired by the 1961 F1 season.

Grand Patch is meant to be Brands Hatch.

The Vale Grand Prix is based on Monaco.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

The flashback elements of the story are meant to take place in the mid-to-late 1950's. The present elements are based on 1966. The dates don't work out unless the decades are extended but this was necessary for the timeline to work out.

Women in F1? Not then and not now. The gender imbalance is tremendous and not just among drivers.

An 18 year old F1 driver? It might not seem strange today but it was unheard of back them. Drivers started racing later in life and did not graduate to F1 until they were experienced in lower formula and sports car racing.

A single person designing and building a top-tier F2 or F1 car? A 16 year old at that? Not then and not now.

An F2 team consisting of just a driver and one mechanic? Nope.

A single person designing and building an F1 engine? Forget about it. Even upgrading an existing engine is more work than one person can handle.

Test sessions and in that era non-championship races proceeded the season. By the first race, in real life the Monaco Grand Prix, everyone would be at least somewhat familiar with everyone else.

A field consisting solely of 2 car teams? That's a modern development.

Pyrrha as F2 champion? There was no official F2 championship until 1967.

Pay drivers? Less common than today but not entirely unheard of.

 **Sources**

The one and only time I'll be doing this.

Great books include _The Limit_ and _Go Like Hell_. One about a slightly later era is _Rush to Glory_ , basically a more detailed version of the movie _Rush_.

The documentary _1_ is fantastic. Other video sources include archival footage found on YouTube.

Wikipedia was used for fact-checking.


	2. Conflict

Chapter 2

 _11 Years Ago_

Yang sat on the floor in front of the television with Ruby on her lap. It was the middle of the night and well past both their bedtimes. But the Vale Grand Prix only happened once a year. Sure, the broadcast was not live, but it was the whole race. Most other Grand Prix were shown as highlight packages because they were seen as too niche for normal television. Only the Vale Grand Prix, Formula 1's most prestigious race, was shown in full.

The year before the pair had accompanied their parents to most of the races. After Summer's accident, Taiyang retired, a broken man. He showed no interest in racing at all anymore. Yang had asked if he could take her and Ruby to nearby Grand Patch to see the F2 race but he had categorically refused. Yang had snuck out and gone herself anyway, then been grounded for a week upon her return. It seemed Taiyang was desperate to keep his daughters away from racing. That, of course, only made them more interested.

On the television, the pre-race ceremonies were already underway. It looked like quite the party, but it soon turned somber. There was a moment of silence for Summer Rose. Ozpin and mechanic Qrow Branwen rolled a silver car out onto the grid, its cockpit full of roses. They symbolically rolled it to the front between the two cars on the front row. The command was given and the other drivers fired up their engines. They slowly filed past the silent car, some drivers saluting as they passed. When the field had gone, Ozpin and Qrow rolled the car back to the garage.

"Why did mom have to die?" Ruby asked. It was a heavy question for someone still so young.

"I don't know." Yang replied. "I guess it was just her time." Yang knew the technical explanation from overhearing Qrow and Taiyang talking about it. A tiny manufacturing defect in a component of the brake system caused the part to fail and the brakes with it. There was nothing anyone could have done. Taiyang had quit the race and rushed to the scene, only to find a track worker performing CPR on Summer's bloody and lifeless body. Her limbs were twisted at horrifying angles and with one look he had known she was dead.

"I miss her." Ruby said.

"Me too." Yang said. "She wasn't my mom, but she treated me like I was her daughter."

"I feel bad for dad." Ruby continued. "He lost both our moms."

"Yeah, it wasn't the same for my mom, but it must have been hard." Yang said, desperately struggling not to cry.

"Do you think it's why he's so mad all the time?" Ruby asked. "I heard him yell at you when you asked to watch the race."

"That probably has something to do with it." Yang said. "I think he's afraid."

"What's he afraid of?" Ruby asked.

"He doesn't want us to become race car drivers." Yang explained. "He's afraid he'll lose us too."

"I don't want to be a driver." Ruby said. "It's scary. I want to be like Uncle Qrow."

"Then you can be my mechanic." Yang suggested.

"One day." Ruby said.

"What are the two of you doing up so late?" Taiyang asked. "You're watching…" He clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "I should have known. Ruby, go to sleep, I need to talk to your sister."

"But I want to…" Ruby moaned.

"But nothing." Taiyang said. "Go to bed now." Ruby sighed and went to her room.

"Don't be mad at Ruby, I woke her up for this." Yang said.

"I told you I didn't want you watching this." Taiyang said. "How many times do I have to ground you before you listen? And now you've dragged your sister into this."

"Don't worry, Ruby doesn't want to drive." Yang said.

"That's a relief." Taiyang sighed.

"But I'm going to be a driver one day." Yang said defiantly. "You can punish me all you want, but you won't stop me."

"No daughter of mine will be a Grand Prix driver." Taiyang said firmly.

"I don't care what you say or do." Yang persisted. "I will be a driver."

"Then you'll cease to be my daughter." Taiyang said. "I will never allow myself to care about another race car driver. If that means turning my back on my own daughter, sobeit."

* * *

 _Present Day_

As Yang and Ruby approached the Beacon GP garage, they could hear a loud argument inside. "This is an outrage!" A girl shouted. "I will not play second fiddle to some rookie…"

"And here's your teammate now." Ozpin said as Ruby and Yang rounded the corner and entered the garage. "Weiss Schnee, meet your teammate Yang Xiao-Long and her sister, your car's designer, Ruby Rose."

"You made me the second driver and let a child design the car?!" Weiss yelled. "What kind of operation are you running here? When I signed that contract I was promised the best equipment and the team's full support."

"Hold on, Weiss Schnee, as in Schnee Automotive?" Yang cut in.

"Yes, and I already regret not signing with them." Weiss hissed. "How could you pair me up with this loser?"

"Nice to meet you too princess." Yang said.

"It's heiress actually." A girl said from the shadows. "You know, I've got to wonder why you didn't sign with the reigning champions, particularly when your father owns the team. You must have some real daddy issues."

"I will not take this abuse and I will not be the second driver!" Weiss screamed.

"Both drivers will be treated equally." Ozpin assured her. "Yang only has the odd number because she signed with us first."

"This is wholly unacceptable!" Weiss continued. "My lawyers will…"

"I won't force you to race for me." Ozpin cut her off. "You can try to find a new team, but practice starts in a few hours so I suspect your options will be quite limited."

Weiss clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She was shaking with anger. "This isn't over." She seethed. With a huff she stomped off.

"I'm sure she'll come around." Ozpin said.

"I hope so." Yang said. "I could certainly do without the distraction."

"Now that you've met your teammate, I suppose you should both meet our engine specialist." Ozpin said. "Blake, come on over." The girl who had taunted Weiss earlier stepped forward. Long black hair flowed from beneath a simple cap with a Merlot Engines logo on it. "Yang Xiao-Long and Ruby Rose, meet Blake Belladonna."

"Nice to meet you." Blake said flatly. "Now if you don't mind, I've got some work to do." She turned around and went back to work without waiting for a reply.

"She's...intimidating." Ruby said.

"You should try to start a conversation with her." Yang suggested.

"Good idea." Ozpin said. "I should probably try to smooth things over with Ms. Schnee." He sighed and headed off in the general direction Weiss had taken.

Ruby approached Blake. "Hey Blake." She said. Blake ignored her and kept working on the engine. "Your work is really amazing. The way you sculpted the exhaust pipes is beautiful."

"You designed the chassis right?" Blake asked.

"Yep, I designed and built it!" Ruby replied excitedly.

"Well you screwed up the engine mounts." Blake said. "Do you have no concept of how much torque a Formula 1 engine produces? If I hadn't replaced them the car would have split in half as soon as your sister hit the gas."

"I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"You would have been really sorry if I hadn't caught it and your sister was splattered across the track." Blake grumbled.

"Give her a break, she's new at this." Yang protested. Ruby was starting to cry. "We're supposed to be on the same team."

"I don't think you understand." Blake said. "If she doesn't learn and learn quickly, someone will die. I don't have time to give her a break or let her figure it out on her own. Of all people, a Rose should know that."

"I don't mind you correcting her." Yang said. "I'm sure there's a lot she can learn from you and I know she'd love your help. Just try to be civil about it."

"I'll consider it." Blake said. "Now please leave me alone so I can finish this."

"Ruby, I think you did a great job on the cars." Yang said. "They're beautiful." She ran her hand across the hood of the car. Her name was emblazoned on the side of the car in black lettering beside the yellow flame that was her logo. Just below was a large number 7 and below that the Beacon GP logo. 'Gambol Shroud' was printed on the side of the engine where the Merlot logo would originally have been. Beside it was Weiss' car. Her name was also in black with her white snowflake logo above a number 8.

"Thanks, I worked really hard." Ruby sniffled. "Crescent Rose Mk. 3 is my best work yet."

"Drivers usually get to name their cars you know." Yang said. She crouched beside it, taking in its profile. "Ember Celica." She said with a sweep of her hand. "We should print that on there somewhere."

"I want to print Crescent Rose on it too." Ruby added. "I wonder what Weiss will name her car."

"I wonder why she didn't sign with her father's team." Yang said. "It's really weird. They're the team to beat. Heck, I'd want to drive for them, even if I had to be the second driver."

"Ozpin suggested I apologize to you all." Weiss said, suddenly appearing at the entrance to the garage. She said nothing else.

"Oh, I was just naming my car." Yang said, hoping Weiss had not heard her talking about her. "Do you want to name yours?"

"Myrtenaster." Weiss said. She stubbornly refused to smile or say anything beyond what was absolutely necessary.

"If it'll make you happy, you can have the number 7." Yang offered. "I really don't care."

"I'll think about it." Weiss said. She walked over to her car and began looking it over. "Now leave me alone."

"I can really feel the love." Yang sighed.

"It makes you miss when it was just the two of us doesn't it?" Ruby said. "I really hope we can all get along at some point."

* * *

Yang fired up her engine and drove out onto the track at the start of the first practice session. It was her first time on the circuit and her first time in a Formula 1 car, but she felt comfortable. She accelerated down the frontstretch, a narrow ribbon of road between towering buildings on the left and a line of trees on the right. She was hard on the brakes into turn one, a sharp right. She hit the gas on the exit of the corner, rocketing uphill, more buildings on the left and now a precipitous cliff on the right. A sweeping right was next. The car oversteered a little but she held it, getting the car straight before she had to snap it into a hard right in front of the Vale Casino. A short downhill straight lead to another tight right-hander with a botanical garden dominating the scenery to the right of the track. A steep downhill lead to an impossibly tight left-hand hairpin in front of the train station. She spun her wheels on exit and they barely regained grip before the next complex of tight right turns. The second of them was likely the most important on the track, leading as it did into the fastest stretch. Yang took the corner more slowly than necessary to get a good launch on exit. To the right was a cliff wall and on the left the cliff continued down to the sea. After flashing through a small tunnel Yang slung the car through a flat-out right-hand sweeper. On exit the track ran steeply downhill, dropping all the way to sea level. At the bottom of the hill, she slid the car through a quick left-right chicane and onto the road that ran along the harbour. After a short straightaway, she cut the car through a tight but unwinding left past the front of a famous dust shop. The final straight took her along the waterfront into a right-hand hairpin, not as tight as the other hairpin, but tight nonetheless. Then she was full throttle onto the main straight and across the line.

After a few laps Yang pulled back into the garage. "How was it?" Ruby asked before Yang could even get her helmet off.

"It's a little loose, but it should be good for qualifying." Yang said. "For the race you'll need to tighten it up a bit." Ruby was relieved. She had never set up an F1 car before. "Blake, come here." Yang called.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"I think we need some changes with the gearing." Yang said. "There's too much top speed, so it's going to waste. On exit of low-speed corners in first gear, there's too much torque. I can't keep the wheelspin down."

"Those are opposite problems." Blake sighed. "I suppose I can give you a longer first gear and shorten the others. Or, I could shorten them all and you can use second gear for slow corners."

"The second choice sounds quicker." Yang said. "Can you make the change before practice is over?"

"No." Blake said. "You'll have to wait for the next session."

"Alright, Ruby, could you loosen it up a little?" Yang asked. "I want to run a few more laps."

"I thought there was already too much oversteer." Ruby said.

"Yeah, but I want to see if it's faster." Yang explained. "It's only a qualifying setup. I can live with it for a few laps."

"I'll get right on it." Ruby said. With a few turns of her wrench the adjustment was done. "You're good to go!"

Yang pulled out of the garage just as Weiss pulled back in. "Get over here now!" Weiss demanded. Ruby and Blake rushed over. "The gearing is all wrong and the oversteer is impossible."

"Which direction would you like me to fix the gearing?" Blake asked, trying to be civil.

"Both." Weiss said. "We're wasting speed on the top end there's too much torque on the low end. It's a disaster. Fix it now!"

"I won't be able to fix it before practice is over." Blake said.

"I don't care." Weiss said. "I'm not driving it again until it's fixed anyway." She undid her belts, got out of the car and stormed off.

"Looks like she described the same problems as Yang." Ruby said to Blake. "I wish she could be nice about it." Blake shrugged and set about working on Weiss' transmission while Ruby made changes to the suspension.

After a few minutes Yang pulled back in. "That was a little too loose." Yang admitted. "I almost put it in the harbour. Man, there's really no room for error at this place."

"I can tell." Ruby said. "There's some hay in your wheel." Haybales lined the wall along the harbour. Apparently Yang had slid into them a bit, even if she had not felt it. "Do you want me to put it back like it was?"

"Make it tighter." Yang said. "I'm pretty happy with the qualifying setup. We may as well start planning for the race."

"I forgot to ask earlier." Ruby said. "On a scale of 0-10, where 0 is super-tight, 10 is super-loose and five is just right, how was it?"

"On the first run it was a 8." Yang said. "This time out it was an 11. For the race I'd like a 6." Yang looked over at Weiss' car. "Where'd she go?"

"She demanded I fix the gearing before she'd drive it again." Blake said.

"Her loss." Yang shrugged. "I guess I get extra time to work on the handling."

* * *

After practice, Ozpin returned to the garage with the lap times. Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss gathered around as he read them off. First place was quite a surprise. "Pyrrha Nikos had the fastest time." Ozpin said. "I didn't think the car had the speed. Then came the two Schnee cars, Coco Adel, Mercury Black…"

"Who's Mercury?" Yang asked.

"He drives for Phase Two." Ozpin replied. "Next was our very own Yang Xiao-Long. That's an impressive first outing."

"Where was I?" Weiss asked, flabbergasted that she had not beaten Yang.

"Let's see...eleventh." Ozpin said.

"Give me that!" Weiss ripped the list out of Ozpin's hands.

"Maybe you should have taken more laps instead of waiting for the transmission." Blake said. "You probably would have gone faster. Yang's got more laps under her belt and her gears will be changed before the next practice anyway"

Weiss threw the paper in the air and stomped off in what was becoming a common scene. Ruby caught the paper. "Hm, only 19 of the 20 drivers ran." She said, looking at the list. "One of Team Haven's drivers didn't set a time. I wonder if they're having trouble with their car. Maybe I could help."

"Have you finished preparing our cars for the second practice?" Ozpin asked. Ruby nodded. "Then go on and ask them. They're pretty new to this and I'm sure they could use the help."

"Why are you letting her help the opposition?" Blake asked.

"There may come a time when we can use some assistance." Ozpin said. "It would be wise to be friendly with those who can aid us. Just don't give away any secrets."

Ruby walked down to Team Haven's garage. True to form, Sun had his shirt off and was working on his car. Neptune sat in the corner. "Hey guys." Ruby said. "I'm Ruby Rose, a mechanic for Beacon GP. I saw that Neptune didn't run any laps and was wondering if you were having car trouble I could help with."

"Nice to meet you." Sun said. "Thanks for the offer but the car's fine. The driver needs some work though." Ruby tilted her head and gave a quizzical look. "He's too afraid."

"I'm not afraid of driving a racecar." Neptune cut in. "This track isn't that fast. It's just...water."

"He can't swim and he's afraid he'll drown if he crashes into the harbour." Sun explained.

"You do realize that there are rescue swimmers everywhere, not to mention dozens of boats?" Ruby asked. "There's nothing to worry about."

"That's easy for you to say." Neptune said. "You're not the one driving."

"See, he's hopeless." Sun said. "How are you going to race at Mistral? The track runs over a river."

"That river's like ankle deep." Neptune said. "It's not the ocean."

"Well, if he won't drive, could I?" Ruby asked. "I always wanted to try it."

"You're a little girl!" Neptune protested. "What are you, fifteen?"

"I'm sixteen thank you." Ruby said.

"So, Neptune, are you going to drive or are you not as brave as a little girl?" Sun pressed.

"I...I...I'll do it." Neptune relented.

The problem solved, Ruby started walking away. "Glad I could help!"

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Yang's relationship with her father is meant to be a bit like Niki Lauda's with his, though the circumstances are vastly different.

\- At least at this point, Weiss is meant to embody the sort of team-destroying primadonna who can't co-exist with a teammate who is as fast or faster, like Fernando Alonso or Alain Prost. Don't try to argue with me about Alonso or Prost, I don't want to hear it and I'll probably just block you.

\- Ending up in the harbour would not be unprecedented, though it would be extremely rare.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The sort of memorial for a fallen driver depicted at the beginning of the chapter would not have happened. The last thing the other drivers wanted was to be reminded of their own mortality.

\- Permanent numbers carried by a team throughout the year were a later invention. The reigning champ had number 1 but other than that they were assigned on a race-by-race basis. I threw it in to add some drama.

\- The neat schedule of three practices and a qualifying session is also a modern invention. Things tended to be a bit more ad-hoc. I use it because it's convenient.

\- Setting up a racecar is way more complicated than I make it seem.

\- I can't think of any driver who would be afraid enough to sit out for any reason, let alone the minute prospect of ending up in the water.


	3. Vale GP

Chapter 3

 _17 Years Ago_

Taiyang was happy to be back in Vale. He always got restless in the offseason so the first race of the year was a great relief. This year was extra-special. His baby girl Yang was at the track with him for the first time. She was still too young to really understand what was going on but she already seemed to have a love of racing. Even the deafening roar of engines did not seem to bother her. It was a shame her mother was not there to see it, but that was her choice. It hurt Taiyang but they had made a clean break. He had not even heard from her since a few days after Yang was born. Being at the track certainly helped get his mind off it.

"Hey Qrow." Taiyang said as he walked into the garage. Qrow Branwen, his ex-wife's brother, was already working on his car. "How's the car look?"

"It looks good." Qrow replied. "We might even win a few races this year." The previous year had been frustrating. The team had not had the car or the engine to be competitive. This year Qrow had taken over the chassis building and a new deal with Schnee Automotive gave the team the best engines available. Qrow suddenly turned very serious. "I'm sorry about what happened with Raven."

"Don't worry about it." Taiyang said. "It's not your fault. I'm glad you decided to stick around. There's no one else I trust to work on my car. Now say hello to your niece."

Qrow got up and walked over. "They grow up so fast." He said. "I'd hold her, but I'm a little greasy."

"That's alright." Taiyang said. "Have you seen Ozpin around?"

"He was here a few minutes ago." Qrow answered. "I think he was going to get our new driver."

"Have you met her?" Taiyang asked. "She was pretty good in sports cars last year, but I don't know much about her."

"Yeah, she finished third at Vytal." Qrow said.

"Hello gentlemen." Ozpin said as he walked into the garage. A short young woman stood at his side. "And hello Yang."

"Are you sure you're going to be alright watching her this weekend?" Taiyang asked. "I can still hire a babysitter."

"It's no trouble at all." Ozpin said. "Anyway, allow me to introduce your new teammate, Summer Rose."

The woman waved. "Hello, it's good to meet you." She said.

"This is Taiyang, our lead driver." Ozpin said. "I'm hoping having a daughter doesn't dull his competitive edge." There was an awkward silence. "I'm joking of course. The other gentleman is Qrow Branwen, our chief mechanic."

"You've got a cute daughter." Summer said.

"You've got a cute face." Taiyang said.

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Starting already huh?" He said. "This is going to be an interesting year."

"I don't think your wife would be happy if she knew you were flirting with me." Summer laughed. "Flattered though I am."

"Well, I've got some good news." Taiyang said.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The second practice session was much like the first. Giving excellent feedback, Yang made incremental changes until she had the car just the way she liked it. As far as she was concerned, both her qualifying and race setups were perfect. Weiss did a lot of yelling and eventually ended up with a setup much like Yang's. Weiss was obviously not making any friends, nor did she seem interested in doing so.

A few minutes after things wrapped up Ozpin arrived with the times. "The top four are the same as this morning's session." He informed the team. "Yang has jumped Mercury and then we have Weiss. It looks like you've made quite an improvement from this morning."

"Of course I've improved now that the car isn't a steaming pile of garbage." Weiss said. "I'll see you all on Saturday when I obliterate Yang in time trials." She walked off.

"She is insufferable." Yang sighed. "We're supposed to be a team."

"I have some ideas about how to improve things, but that will have to wait." Ozpin said cryptically. "Tomorrow's an off day so get some rest. You'll need to be your best for time trials." He laughed. "Who am I kidding? Just try not to party too much. And stay away from Team Funky, they're a bad influence."

"Could I see the timesheet?" Ruby asked. Ozpin nodded and handed her the paper before departing. Neptune had managed to turn a few laps but he was very slow. Only Jaune was slower. Apparently Neptune was really taking it easy around the water. Though he was last, Jaune had something to be happy about. He hadn't crashed yet in two whole practice session.

"Coco invited us to a party tomorrow." Yang announced. "Are you two coming?"

"I thought I would spend the day working on the car, but there really isn't much to do." Ruby said. "I guess I could go."

"I'll pass." Blake said. Without another word she left.

"Looks like it's just you and me again." Yang sighed.

* * *

The next night Yang and Ruby followed Coco's invitation to a yacht. It was moored in the harbour right next to the track. Apparently Coco had some very wealthy friends. Yang wore an elegant white dress but the best Ruby could manage was a casual combination of short sleeve shirt and pants. At least she was not covered in grease. It turned out the Coco and her team were putting on the party for rookie drivers and their mechanics. Except for Weiss and Penny they had all made it. Pyrrha, Jaune, Sun, Neptune, Cardin Winchester, Sky Lark and their mechanics were in attendance.

"There sure are a lot of rookies this year." Ruby observed. Counting the pair not in attendance, the total was eight out of twenty drivers. "I wonder why that is."

"You mean you don't know?" Cardin asked, having overheard her. "My, are you in for a rude awakening."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"You're the mechanic for Beacon GP, correct?" Cardin asked.

"Yeah, I'm Yang Xiao-Long's sister." Ruby replied. "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose."

"Rose and Xiao-Long, and you don't know why there are so many rookies." Cardin sighed. "Of all people, you should know the reason." He paused to see if Ruby would get it. She did not. "There are a lot of rookies because a lot of drivers end up maimed or killed. Last year two died in Formula 1 races, two more Formula 1 drivers died in sports car races, and one was so badly hurt he can't drive anymore. It's like this every year."

"Yang, is it really that dangerous?" Ruby asked with alarm. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, yeah." Yang said. "It's the most dangerous sport in the world. I thought you knew. Dad certainly never stopped telling us."

"I thought it was different now." Ruby said, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you like I lost mom."

"It is safer now, even if only a little." Yang said. "I'm sure that with you building my cars, nothing can go wrong."

"That's what mom said about Uncle Qrow." Ruby sobbed. "What if something I can't control goes wrong? I...I can't…" She ran off before Yang could stop her.

"Cardin...look what you've done." Yang growled.

"I simply gave her a little reality check." Cardin said with a smug smile.

"And I'm going to give you a broken nose!" Yang shouted. She leveled Cardin with a single punch then rushed off after Ruby.

* * *

Yang was pretty sure she knew where Ruby would go, where she was most comfortable. Yang entered Beacon GP's garage. For some reason the lights were on. "She's over by your car." Blake said without looking up from the book she was reading. "Could you do me a favor and calm her down? Her crying is distracting."

Yang found Ruby sitting on the floor beside the car. She sat down beside her. "Ruby...I'm sorry." Yang said.

"Don't be sorry." Ruby wept. "I'm the idiot who was living in a fantasy world. Of course it's dangerous. You're basically driving a giant fuel tank at breakneck speed. One mistake by the driver, one little part failure, and it's all over. That's what it was with mom, just a $5 part. I don't want you to die. I can't go on if you die."

"I'm not going to die." Yang said. "I promise."

"How can you promise when there's so much you can't control?" Ruby sobbed.

Yang sighed. "Well maybe I can't make that promise." She said. "Ruby, you love working on racecars, right?"

"Yeah." Ruby replied.

"If you couldn't do that anymore, you'd probably feel like life wasn't fun anymore." Yang said. Ruby nodded. "Well, I feel the same way about driving. It might be dangerous, and dad might hate me for doing it, but I feel so alive when I'm behind the wheel. There's nothing in the world I'd rather do. I could stop and play it safe, but then I wouldn't be happy. I would rather die young and happy than old and sad, wondering what might have been."

"I get it, I'm just...afraid I guess." Ruby said. She was beginning to calm down. "I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

"I know, I know." Yang said. "But there's no reason to get sad about it now. Plenty of drivers go their whole careers without a scratch. Look at dad. I'm confident that I'll be fine. I need you to be confident too."

"Okay, I'll try." Ruby said. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Of course I'll be careful." Yang said. "And I know you're going to be careful with my cars too."

"I...I think I'm okay now." Ruby said. "I just need a few minutes to myself."

Yang nodded and stood up, returning to where Blake was sitting. "Have you been here all day?" Yang asked.

"I have." Blake replied, still reading.

"Instead of going to parties or having fun in any way, you stayed here and read your book all day?" Yang pressed.

"I also performed some maintenance on the engines." Blake answered. "In this sport there's no time to just go have fun. You're either constantly working, constantly improving, or you're going backwards."

"Why even do it if you don't enjoy it?" Yang asked.

"Who said I didn't enjoy it?" Blake countered. "I love working on engines. I love being around the track. But if I don't keep getting better what good will I be?"

"Just be sure to take some breaks every once in awhile." Yang advised. "If you're fatigued you won't be at your best."

"Noted." Blake said.

"So, what are you reading?" Yang asked.

"It's a book about engine design." Blake replied.

"Funny, the cover says Ninjas of Love, even if you're trying to hide it." Yang laughed. "It sounds more like smut to me."

"Leave, now." Blake said.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." Yang said. "Enjoy your book."

* * *

Saturday morning practice was uneventful. The only thing of note was that Yang and Weiss were now almost even on speed. Now Yang was fifth with Weiss fractions of a second behind in sixth. The afternoon's time trials would be quite a battle. It seemed Weiss had calmed her fury and was now laser focused on driving. She finally had the car the way she wanted, just a little tighter than Yang's, and she was starting to get comfortable. Yang meanwhile had reached a point where she could not seem to get more out of the car.

Time trials got underway in the afternoon, an hour of driving to decide who would start where for the race. From the outset it was clear that there was no catching Pyrrha. At the Vale Grand Prix, the driver counted for far more than the car, and her skill was unparalleled. Even a mediocre chassis and weak engine could not keep her from pole position. The two cars from Schnee automotive predictably came next, though their drivers had very different styles. Winter, who took second, drove with a passion that could get her in trouble but more often than not led her to the front. Penny had a clinical precision that no other driver could match. She hit the same marks every lap, never missing an apex. Beyond the top three, it was anyone's game.

With five minutes left Yang and Weiss were both in the garage. They sat eleventh and twelfth respectively and would get one more good run at improving their starting positions. Ruby waved Yang out of the garage. A few moments later she did the same for Weiss.

Yang pushed the car on her out lap, enough that she would warm the tires but not so much that she would destroy them. She hung back to get some open track then rocketed out of the final hairpin. She flashed across the line to start her timed lap before braking heavily for the first turn. The tires spun a bit on exit but she got a good launch up the hill. At the top the car oversteered and she slid through the second turn but she got the next just right. After a short and bumpy downhill she braked hard and cut the car through turn four, flashing past the gardens and down toward the train station. She controlled the wheelspin on exit of the hairpin and zipped through the following two right-handers and out onto the back stretch. On the very edge of traction she kept it floored through the right-hand sweeper as she flashed through the tunnel. Diving down toward the chicane, the car got loose under braking. She manage to keep it straight and nailed both apexes. She shot down the straightaway toward the dust shop, hit the brakes as she crested the rise and cut the car through the corner. The car screamed down the straightaway toward the final hairpin. She locked up the brakes slightly but still hit her line through the corner. Yang hit the gas and the rear tires broke traction as the car pulled out of the final turn. It rocketed down the front straight and across the line setting a time good enough for fifth, right behind Coco.

Seconds later Weiss rounded the final corner. She managed the wheelspin expertly and got a much better launch onto the straight. She flashed across the line, beating Yang's time by the slimmest of margins. Mercury ended up seventh, his teammate Emerald Sustrai eight, Sun in ninth and Yatsuhashi rounding out the top ten.

Yang rolled back into the garage. "How did I do?" She asked.

"When you crossed the line you were fifth." Ruby replied. "But Weiss beat you, so you'll start sixth."

Yang frowned. "She beat me." She sighed.

"It's just qualifying." Ruby encouraged her. "I'm sure you'll get her in the race."

"Where am I starting?" Weiss demanded immediately after pulling into the garage.

"You're fifth." Blake said. "Just behind Coco and just ahead of Yang." Weiss grinned widely. "How close was I to Coco?"

"You were less than a second off." Blake answered.

"If the car didn't understeer so much I would have beaten her." Weiss said, glaring at Ruby.

"I prepared the car just like you asked." Ruby protested.

"Well, at least I beat her." Weiss said. "Now all that's left is to crush her in the race."

This time Yang was the one who stormed out. She had absolutely had it with Weiss' attitude. Being beaten by her, even in time trials, was totally unacceptable because Yang knew the gloating that would ensue. She would have to defeat her in the race if she was ever going to shut Weiss up.

* * *

The day of the race dawned bright and sunny. The cars rolled out onto the grid in preparation for the race, a gleaming, multi-colored display of unbridled power. The cars rolled around the track on the parade lap, slotting into their grid positions for the start. Weiss was the third car on the left, just behind Penny. Yang was third on the right, just behind Coco. The first corner was a right-hander so Yang technically had the preferred line, but her grid position was a few feet further back than Weiss' and her side of the track was dirtier, meaning less grip on the start. With passing a near impossibility at the circuit, Yang would need to beat Weiss into turn 1 if she was to have any hope of finishing ahead of her.

The starter held the green flag aloft for what seemed like an eternity as the driver revved their engines. The flag dropped and the cars lurched off the line with a mechanical roar and the screech of tires. Pyrrha got a great start from pole and flashed through the first turn well ahead of Winter who had spun her tires on the line. Penny had controlled her wheelspin and went into the corner side-by-side with her teammate, yielding to prevent a crash. Coco had a decent start and was right on Penny's tail. Weiss was over-eager and spun her tires. Despite having less grip, Yang got a fantastic start and the two cars entered the first corner wheel-to-wheel. Neither driver was about to let the other ahead.

With a screech of tires and the sound of rending metal, Yang and Weiss collided and slid into the armco on the outside of the corner. The drivers behind were lucky to avoid them as they snaked through the scene of the crash. From last on the grid, the hapless Jaune panicked at the sight of the accident and spun his car into the barrier. Weiss and Yang had not hit hard, but it was enough to end both of their races. Jaune too was out of the running.

"You maniac!" Weiss screamed. She hurriedly undid her belts and leapt from her car just as Yang was getting up. "What were you thinking?" She did her best to get in Yang's face despite Yang being almost a foot taller. "You couldn't even get through the first turn without taking us both out you idiot!"

"You didn't give me any room!" Yang protested. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know, not wreck your teammate!" Weiss shouted.

"If Ozpin didn't keep telling me, I'd never know you were my teammate." Yang said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"You're such a bitch!" Yang yelled. "You do nothing but complain! Nothing is ever your fault! You treat the mechanics like garbage!"

"Come on girls, break it up." Jaune said.

"Stay out of this!" Yang and Weiss shouted in unison.

"I can't believe a psycho like you ever made it to F1." Weiss said. "The way you drive you'll be dead before the year's over."

"Yeah, everyone else managed to avoid us." Yang said. With their combined fury turned to Jaune, their argument abruptly ended.

"I'll...I'll just go." Jaune said, backing away as fast as he could.

"I'm leaving too." Weiss said.

"Where are you going?" Yang demanded.

"Mistral." Weiss said. "I'll see you there if Ozpin doesn't fire you. Not only did you wreck in your first race, you took out your teammate. That's about as bad as it gets." Weiss stormed off, pushing her way through a crowd of spectators and disappearing into the distance.

The cars raced by to start their second lap and Yang realized she was still standing on the track. She hopped over the barrier and sat on the ground, leaning against the wall of a building. Maybe Weiss was right. Maybe it was her fault. She was behind, so technically it was her responsibility to avoid contact. Her first race, the Vale Grand Prix no less, and she had blown it in the very first corner. She buried her face in her hands and sat there as the cars roared past lap after lap.

"Are you alright?" Someone eventually asked. Yang did not respond. "Ms. Xiao-Long, are you alright?"

Yang looked up to see Ozpin standing over her. "I'm fine." She said. "I'm sorry. I guess I really blew it."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Ozpin said. "The important thing is that no one's hurt. We can fix the cars."

"We're out of the race though." Yang sighed.

"With two rookie drivers, I wasn't expecting much anyway." Ozpin admitted. "You and your teammate put in quite the performance in time trials though. I think you both have bright futures ahead of you. If only you could get along."

"Talk to Weiss about that." Yang said.

"I know, she's very...difficult." Ozpin said. "Just know that she has her reasons."

"I just feel sick that I took out both cars." Yang said.

"I seem to remember a certain Xiao-Long who had some similar difficulties." Ozpin said. "If I remember correctly, in his first outing he didn't turn a single full lap of practice before blowing the chicane and flipping the car. He was lucky to survive. The point is, everyone makes mistakes, even champions."

"Yeah, I guess." Yang said. "Ruby's going to be angry that I busted her cars. And Blake...I don't think she'll be thrilled either."

"I'm sure they'll just be happy you're safe." Ozpin assured her. "If you really feel bad,you could make it up to them by helping to fix the cars."

"That sounds like a good idea." Yang said. "I should probably buy them dinner too."

* * *

Pyrrha won the race in dominant fashion, with a margin of victory nearing half a lap. Winter had suffered engine trouble and dropped out a quarter of the way through, leaving Penny to finish second. Coco rounded out the podium with a third place finish. After a good start, Mercury had scraped a barrier and dropped out and Emerald took fourth. After a blinding start Yatsuhashi finished fifth and Sun took the final points paying position in sixth.

* * *

Standings after one race:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 9

2nd - Penny Polendina - 6

3rd - Coco Adel - 4

4th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

5th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 2

6th - Sun Wukong - 1

7th - Yang Xiao-Long, Weiss Schnee… - 0

* * *

 **Inspirations**

 **-** In this story, Jaune is based on Pastor Maldonado. I think I speak for everyone involved in F1, and the fans, when I say I'm glad to see that menace finally out of a ride.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The number of rookies is unrealistically high, at least as far as full-time drivers go.

\- 4 dead and 1 maimed would be an abnormally high casualty rate for the mid-60's, more in line with the 50's. Only 1 driver died in an F1 race in 1966. 0 in 1965.

\- A crash in turn 1 like the one described would likely lead to a restart in this era. In that case, drivers could get in backup cars (assuming the team had them) and it would be as if nothing had happened. In the case of this story, none of the teams have backups, so I decided not to bother.

\- Even in an era of lax safety, the track workers at Monaco would be at the scene of an accident long before the involved drivers had a chance to argue, particularly at turn 1.

\- Winning with the worst engine in a bad car is impossible now and was impossible then, at least in the dry. It was possible to win with an inferior car/engine combo at Monaco or elsewhere when there were adverse conditions. Then as now, rain was a great equalizer, but even that rarely led to miracle wins. The point I'm trying to make in the story is that Pyrrha is extremely talented, even if her car is crap.

\- The mechanical attrition rate is too low for the era. Most races saw less than 10 finishers in 1966. The Brabham team won the 66 and 67 titles mostly because they were the most reliable.


	4. Mistral GP

Chapter 4

 _15 Years Ago_

In the forests to the northwest of Mistral was a fearsome race course. Stretching over 14 kilometers of country roads, the Mistral Circuit was one of the most dangerous on Remnant. For one thing, incredibly long straightaways and mostly sweeping turns made for incredible speeds. A total lack of any safety measures - not even so much as barriers separating the track from the forest - only made matters worse. Its reputation only made winning there more prestigious, and though grumblings of boycott always ran just below the surface, races featuring the world's best inevitably went on as planned, even as the list of casualties grew.

It was Summer's first season back behind the wheel after giving birth to Ruby. Ozpin had made a deal with Nevermore Motorcars that put his two drivers, Summer and Taiyang, behind the wheel of a Nevermore 500V sports car for the season's endurance championship. It was a sleek convertible with a giant engine crammed into the front of the extremely light chassis. A small semi-circular windscreen covered only the driver's side and a ridge in the bodywork behind the driver's head streamlined the air flow. It was fast, stable and reliable, perfect for endurance racing.

The early races of the sports car season, along with the Vale Grand Prix, showed that Summer had not lost her edge. Now it was time for the 1000km of Mistral. It was a race every driver dreaded, but with an infant daughter Summer was particularly anxious. Ozpin had offered to replace her for the race, but she refused. She owed it to Ozpin and Taiyang. She had been welcomed back to the team after a year off without any hesitation, something almost unheard of in the world of motorsport.

After running for about two hours, Taiyang pulled into the pits to end his first stint behind the wheel. He usually looked haggard after a demanding run like that, but he looked even worse than usual. He climbed out of the car as the crew changed the tires and filled it with fuel. He grabbed Summer by the arm as she went to get in. "Look out for the body parts in the Ursa Kink." He warned. The Ursa Kink was an extremely fast and challenging left-right chicane. Difficult to get right and taken at speeds well in excess of 100 mph, it was the site of many accidents. Summer assumed someone had crashed there and left parts of their car scattered across the track. She was wrong.

There had indeed been an accident. Half a car sat burning on the right side of the road just past the exit of the turn, but that was not the concerning thing. A severed leg and a streak of blood on the track told of a much more grisly incident. A bit farther down the track, at the terminus of a set of skid-marks was a stationary car. The front was slightly crumpled and the windshield cracked and spattered with blood. The driver sat with his hands gripping the steering wheel, a thousand yard stare on his face. It was not difficult to piece together what had happened.

First, a driver had gotten the corner wrong. He clipped the grass on the inside of the right-hander which sent him sliding off the track to the left. There, his car struck the end of a stone wall. The back half sheared off and continued to the left while the front, driver included, burst into flames and ricocheted back across the track, coming to rest in the grass to the right. A safety worker, stationed nearby on the left side of the track had rushed across in an attempt to save the driver from his burning car. Just then, unsighted by the thick black smoke billowing from the wreck, another driver screamed around the corner and struck the worker, ripping him to shreds.

Summer immediately returned to the pits. She was done with sports car racing, at least for the time being. For Ruby's sake, and Yang's for that matter, she could not take the risk. Taiyang and Ozpin, once he had been informed of what had happened in the Ursa Kink, had assumed that was likely to be the case. A relief driver was waiting. Peter Port's own car had fallen out of the race due to an engine failure and he was ready to take over. He had driven Summer's car in F1 while she was pregnant and had graciously stepped aside when she returned. He and Taiyang went on to finish third. Summer was just happy they had survived.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Weiss walked into the garage just minutes before the first practice for the Grand Prix of Mistral. She took a quick look at her car, a large number 7 now on the side, then looked to Yang. "I know you really wanted the odd number." Yang said. "Consider it an apology for Vale." Weiss narrowed her eyes at Yang for a moment before turning her attention to her car. "I hope we can get past what happened." Yang added. Weiss ignored her. She got in her car, fastened her belts and put on her helmet and goggles. Weiss sat silently until practice started, then immediately drove out of the garage. She had clearly not gotten past it.

As soon as the first laps were completed, it was clear what team had the upper hand. Schnee Automotive had by far the most powerful engines, and on the incredibly fast circuit it showed. They were over a second clear of the next pairing, the drivers from Phase Two. Observers thought Phase Two's engines looked suspiciously like reverse-engineered Schnee engines, and soon there were whispers of cheating and espionage. Whatever the truth was, the engines were still not good enough to challenge Penny and Winter. In fifth and sixth were the pair from Coffee Inc. They ran the previous year's model of Schnee engines.

Beacon GP looked to have the measure of the rest of the field. Both cars were fast from the outset, falling seventh and eighth with Yang fractions of a second ahead of Weiss. Weiss complained loudly about her car but requested only minor changes before deciding it was as good as it would get. The second practice came and went with the same results, except that Weiss was now fractionally ahead of Yang.

Lurking just behind the Beacon cars was Pyrrha. Juniper had the worst engines in the field, refurbished two-year-old Merlot models, but in the corners Pyrrha was blisteringly quick. If she managed to catch a draft off a faster car, she was able to set competitive lap times. Jaune was predictably slow. A bad engine and worse driver combined to put him right at the bottom. He was not as far off as he had been at Vale however. Apparently Pyrrha was trying to teach him, though progress was slow.

The biggest improvement from Vale was Neptune. Free of his fear of water he was able to set times on par with Sun. They were the fastest with unmodified Merlot engines, placing tenth and eleventh in both practices. Behind them was a jumble of very close times and the positions seemed to shift with every lap time posted.

After the day's practices, Yang again tried to apologize to Weiss. "I really am sorry about what happened in Vale." Yang said. "If we don't start at least tolerating each other, it's going to hurt the team as a whole." Weiss said nothing and just walked out.

"I think she's giving you the silent treatment." Blake said.

"She wouldn't talk to me either." Ruby sighed. "She told Blake all the setup changes she wanted, even the ones I'm responsible for."

"There's no way we can go a whole season like this." Yang said. "I'm not sure there's anything we can do though. Maybe Ozpin can talk some sense into her. He said he had something in mind but still hasn't told me what."

* * *

The results of Saturday's morning warmup were much the same as the previous day's. Going into time trials, it was pretty clear the the Schnee cars were untouchable. That aside, there were still plenty of grid spots up for grabs to any driver bold enough to push the limits.

Yang set out for her last run near the end of the session. She was eighth, just behind Weiss, and determined to outdo her teammate. She slowed before the final right-hand hairpin to make some room between her and the car in front. Pyrrha was just behind but stayed right on her tail, a clean track would offer her no advantage at all. Yang accelerated out of the hairpin and blasted down the start/finish straight. The steep downhill abruptly flattened out into a left across a stone bridge before a sweeping uphill right, entering the complex named for the stream that ran beneath it, Red Water. Yang slid the car through the right-hander that immediately followed before cutting back to the left at the crest of the hill and out onto a long straight, the first of many. Now the track headed away from anything resembling a purpose-built circuit and into the countryside. Mind-bogglingly fast straights were punctuated by occasional corners. Yang was feeling good. The car was performing perfectly and she hit all her apexes. By the halfway point of the lap she had left Pyrrha behind. Yang braked hard on entry to the Ursa Kink, slung the car left and then right, and shot out onto the next straight. After over a mile there was a sweeping right-hander. The car oversteered but Yang kept it in check and got a good exit. The remaining corners were all fast ones until the final hairpin. Yang locked the brakes slightly but still hit her marks and got a good exit onto the start/finish straight. She flashed across the line to complete a lap just fast enough to put herself ahead of Weiss and into seventh.

Weiss crossed the line a few seconds later, Pyrrha tucked in behind her car. Weiss improved her time but not her position, ending up eighth. Predictably, Winter had qualified on pole with Penny second. Third was Mercury with Emerald fourth. Fifth and sixth went to Coco and Yatsuhashi respectively. After the Beacon GP pair were Sun and Neptune. Pyrrha ended up a disappointing eleventh; the engine just did not have the power. Much to everyone's surprise, Jaune was not last. He had managed to beat both WFR cars. They too were using outdated engines.

"Where did I place?" Yang asked as she pulled into the garage.

"Seventh." Ruby replied. "You beat Weiss!"

"That's a relief." Yang sighed. "Maybe I can at least get her to respect me, even if she never likes me."

"Did I beat Yang?" Weiss asked as she pulled into the garage.

"No, you're just behind her in eighth." Blake answered.

Anger and frustration were etched into Weiss' face as she pulled off her helmet and goggles. After getting out of the car she threw them onto the seat. Instead of storming out as she had done so many times before she went directly to Yang. "You can have turn 1." Weiss said through gritted teeth. "After that it's race on." She left before Yang could reply.

"Well, at least she's talking at me." Yang shrugged. "Talking to me can't be far off."

"She also yielded position to you in turn 1." Blake said. "It's not that big a deal at this track, but that can't have been easy for her, even if she was just doing it to avoid getting into another crash."

"I'll take what I can get." Yang said.

Weiss returned. "Ruby, the car's too tight." She said. "On a scale of 0-10 it's a 3. I need a 5." With that she left again.

"Now that's a major improvement." Ruby said. "Maybe getting beat is what it'll take."

"Somehow I don't think that'll be enough." Yang said. "It might work for the two of you, if she wants to be fast she needs your help, but for me I think there needs to be more."

* * *

The morning of the race dawned cloudy and cold. Sudden and extreme changes of weather were common in this part of Mistral, and the track was large enough that it could be raining heavily on part of it and totally dry elsewhere. With the exception of Schnee Automotive's drivers, everyone was praying for the rain to come. It was the only thing that could level the playing field.

After their parade lap the cars lined up on the grid and waited for the green flag. The flag dropped and the cars were off and the thirty lap race was on. With a steeply downhill start straight and engines geared for top speed, wheelspin was of minimal concern. Yang and Weiss got nearly identical starts. The headed for the first corner, the nose of Weiss' car just alongside Yang's rear wheels on what would be the inside line. At the last moment Weiss rolled out of the throttle, allowing Yang to cut into the corner. Weiss ducked in behind her as the field snaked its way uphill.

By the end of the first lap the Schnee cars were three seconds clear of the rest of the field. Phase Two and Coffee Inc. had gotten mixed up over the course of the lap with Emerald third followed by Coco, Yatsuhashi and Mercury as they crossed the line. Then came Yang, Weiss hot on her heels. Sun was next, then Pyrrha who had gotten a great start, and Neptune. The cars roared down the hill and into Red Water then back up and out of view of the pit area.

Things had changed a bit by lap five. Winter still led from Penny but they were now followed by Emerald, Coco, Mercury and Yatsuhashi in that order. Weiss got a great run out of the final hairpin and got beside Yang as they careened down the hill into Red Water. This time it was Yang who yielded, giving seventh to Weiss. Sun was still ninth but Neptune had got past Pyrrha for tenth, and Pyrrha's slide through the field had continued, leaving her twelfth. Jaune, meanwhile, had worked his way to fifteenth, with the retirement of Cardinal's Sky Lark due to an engine issue, Maiden's Amber Autumn with a suspension failure, and Funky's Neon Katt who crashed lightly at the Ursa Kink.

By lap 9 Weiss had pulled away from Yang. She was pushing as hard as she could, determined to make up for losing out to Yang in qualifying. Her tires were wearing faster than she would have liked and her brakes were getting hot, but she was unconcerned. She should have been. She hit the brakes on entry to the Ursa Kink and the right-front tire exploded. The car dropped to the rim in a shower of sparks and the differential drag on the front end turned the car sideways at over 150 mph. The car slid sideways off the track, hit a ditch and flipped over, landing right-side-up not far from the track. She remained seated in the car hyperventilating, her hands locked on the steering wheel, and her eyes wide with terror. Neon had been watching the race from nearby after her own accident and rushed to Weiss' aid.

"Weiss, are you injured?!" Neon shouted as she rushed toward the crumpled car.

After a few deep breaths Weiss calmly undid her seat belts and stepped out of the car, refusing help from Neon and a safety worked who had responded to the scene. Weiss was lucky to be alive, but her overriding emotion was anger. She surely had Yang beat and had thrown it away. To add to her misery, it began to rain.

Rain was just what Yang wanted. The storm moved in from the southwest, light at first but gradually gaining in intensity. It caught many drivers out. Jaune had been doing fine in dry conditions, but on slick tires in the wet he was out of his depth. He spun off the track in the Southwest Sweeper and crushed his suspension against the armco. Moments later, Warren Tukson of WFR lost control and crashed in almost the exact same spot. A little further along, Sun misjudged a corner and slid off into a field where his car became stuck in the mud.

The field dove into the pits for rain tires as heavy rain blanketed the entire track. "Will it keep raining?" Yang asked Ruby as the pit crew changed her tires.

"The report we got says it'll only get heavier." Ruby replied. "What happened to Weiss?"

"She crashed." Yang answered. "I saw her out of the car though, watching from the side of the track." Ruby sighed, a crash meant extra work. At least Weiss was okay. The crew finished changing the tires and Yang pulled out onto the track, the pits only separated from the start/finish straight by a line of paint.

By the race's halfway point, Yang was catching up. She was right on the back of Mercury and Emerald who had been passed by Coco and Yatsuhashi and faded quickly when the rain began to fall. A little further behind, Pyrrha had gotten past Neptune and was closing the gap. The trio of Emerald, Mercury and Yang accelerated out of the Ursa Kink and onto a straightaway over a mile long. Halfway to the next corner Emerald's engine failed spectacularly, spitting smoke and flame and throwing chunks of metal. Mercury swerved to avoid the suddenly slowing car and slid into the grass. He kept going, regained control and rejoined the track but it was enough for Yang to get by. The lost momentum meant that Pyrrha slipped past on entry to the next corner, the Southwest Sweeper.

On lap 18 Yang caught Yatsuhashi. She tried to stay as close as possible to the back of his car, but his superior engine meant he pulled away on the straights. Yang was faster, but completing the pass would be very difficult. Well, it would have been, had Yatsuhashi not hydroplaned through a puddle in the final hairpin. He slid well wide and Yang passed him with ease, pulling away in pursuit of Coco. Pyrrha got past too. With Yang slowed by having to follow Yatsuhashi for almost an entire lap, Pyrrha had caught her. The two ran nose-to-tail in a situation that mirrored the one Yang had just escaped.

As the rain continued to pour Yang and Pyrrha finally caught up to Coco on lap 26. She was unlikely to repeat her teammate's mistake. Yang and Pyrrha could not afford to be held up. If they had any hope of catching the Schnee cars, they would have to get past Coco quickly. Coming out of the hairpin to complete the lap, Yang got a good run. She closed on Coco's tail then shot out to the left at the last second as they entered Red Water. Coco was taken by surprise and forced to concede the position. She tried to tuck in behind Yang, hoping to overtake her on the upcoming long straightaway, but she had lost too much momentum. She came under attack from Pyrrha who easily passed her on entry to the next corner.

At the start of lap 29 Pyrrha was right on Yang's tail. The Schnee cars were too far gone to catch, so Yang switched over to the defensive. Pyrrha had mastered the slipstream and was able to keep close even on the longest straights. They were close in the corners but Pyrrha was just a little faster, if only she could get by. From Red Water to the Ursa Kink, all the way toward the end of the lap they ran nose-to-tail as if the cars were attached to each other. Entering the final hairpin Yang looked in her mirror so see what Pyrrha would do. The spray kicked up by her car was blinding and she could not see Pyrrha. She braked hard and at the last moment noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Pyrrha dove to the right at the last possible moment, out-braked Yang and took the preferred line. They rolled through the corner side-by-side, lining up for a drag-race to the finish. Yang hit the throttle too hard and spun rear wheels. Pyrrha's less powerful engine meant she did not have the same issue. She pulled ahead, just beating Yang to the finish to take third.

Yang was incredibly disappointed to have missed out on the podium in the last corner but happy with the result nonetheless. If nothing else she had shown her potential and, in her mind at least, made up for the fiasco in Vale. Weiss fumed. Not only had she crashed out, her teammate and biggest rival had just had the race of a lifetime. Weiss also felt threatened. She was not nearly so good in the rain. Winter took home the victory with Penny a close second. Fifth was Coco, followed by Yatsuhashi, Mercury, Neptune, Cardin and Flynt Coal to round out the top 10.

* * *

A few hours after the race Ozpin held a team meeting. Weiss, soaked and miserable, had arrived about an hour earlier, having caught a ride on the flatbed that delivered her wrecked car to the garage. Ruby was relieved that the chassis was mostly intact and could be repaired. Blake decided the engine would probably have to be scrapped. Yang did not gloat. She did not say a word to Weiss and Weiss had not said a word to her.

Just before the meeting was supposed to start, the principal members of Team Juniper joined them. Team owner Glynda Goodwitch, along with drivers Pyrrha and Jaune, and mechanics Nora and Ren, were in attendance when Ozpin finally arrived. "I mentioned to my drivers that I had a venture in mind to promote team cohesion." Ozpin said. "I can finally announce it. Ms. Goodwitch and I have finalized a deal with Nevermore Motors to jointly run a pair of cars at this year's 24 Hours of Vytal. It's all a bit last moment, but this is an incredible opportunity that could not be passed up." He paused for a moment to gauge everyone's reactions. Yang and Ruby looked interested, Blake was Blake, Nora was ecstatic, Ren might have been asleep, and Weiss looked skeptical. "Any questions? Comments?"

"I would like to team with Pyrrha." Weiss said.

"I think I'll let Glynda take this one." Ozpin said.

"The driver pairings will not be altered." Glynda said. "My drivers will pair up and Ozpin's will. This is not up for debate."

Weiss glared at Yang. "Fine." She sighed.

"Anything else?" Ozpin asked. There were no takers. "Good. I'll see you all in Vytal for practice on Tuesday."

Yang could not imagine how it would possibly work. She was not necessarily opposed to the idea of sharing a car with Weiss, but she knew Weiss would rather gouge her own eyes out. They would not be able to have their own setups, instead having to go with a compromise they could both live with. Yang suspected Weiss would not be compromising. She also suspected Ozpin had other motives. Sure, he was probably hoping it would help defuse the tension between she and Weiss, but if it did not one of them would probably be fired. Pyrrha was a rare talent stuck in a car that limited her potential and Ozpin would no doubt love to have her on his team. Ozpin and Glynda were on good enough terms that a trade might just be possible. It would be make or break.

* * *

Standings after two races:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 13

2nd - Penny Polendina - 12

3rd - Winter Schnee - 9

4th - Coco Adel - 6

5th - Yang Xiao-Long - 3

5th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 3

5th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

8th - Sun Wukong - 1

9th - Weiss Schnee… - 0

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Mistral is based on Spa. The Ursa Kink is the Masta Kink. Red Water is Eau Rouge.

\- The Nevermore 500V is based on the Jaguar D-Type.

\- The flashback story comes from a 1972 24 hour touring car race. Hans-Joachim Stuck warned his teammate Jochen Mass about the body parts.

\- The skill show in the rain by Yang and Pyrrha is inspired by Ayrton Senna. In this story Pyrrha is supposed to have Senna-like talent at all times.

\- Vytal is Le Mans.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- There is no stone wall at the Masta Kink. I needed something solid to hit.

\- As stated earlier, the flashback accident actually occurred in 1972.

\- As stated in previous chapters, the weekend format is still not accurate for the time period.

\- Last second entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans are not that unrealistic, but one coming together the weekend before the race certainly is.


	5. Compromise

Chapter 5

 _20 Years Ago_

Things had been going well for Taiyang and Qrow, teammates in the 24 Hours of Vytal. They were leading their class by almost a lap with just three hours to go. Then, heading into Amity Corner, at the end to the 6 kilometer Amity Straight, Qrow's right front brake failed. He managed to slow the car considerably but not enough to make the corner. He went straight on and slammed head-on into the barrier. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. The team was running another car, the one that inherited the race lead, so Taiyang remained at the track until the race ended before heading to the hospital to check on Qrow.

When Taiyang got to the hospital he was told that Qrow had had surgery but was resting in his room. At Qrow's bedside was a black-haired woman. "I saw the car, that was a hell of a shunt Qrow." Taiyang said.

Qrow turned his attention from the woman to Taiyang. "Yeah, sorry about that." Qrow said. "Damnit, we had that race won."

"Don't worry about the race." Taiyang said. "I'm just glad you're alright."

"Well, I'm not, not really." Qrow sighed. He pointed to his left leg, already wrapped in a cast. "Broke just about every bone. They had to fuse my ankle. They say I'll never drive again. Hell, I'll be lucky to walk normally."

"I'm so sorry." Taiyang said.

"I'm going to miss the craziness, that's for sure." Qrow said. "You and the others are a fun bunch to be around."

"You don't have to stay home." Taiyang said. "You're still a heck of a mechanic. I'm sure the team can find a place for you. Hell, I'll make sure they do."

"I appreciate it." Qrow said. "Oh, where are my manners? This is my sister Raven. Raven, my teammate Taiyang Xiao-Long."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Raven said.

"The pleasure's mine." Taiyang said. "I had no idea Qrow had such a beautiful sister. We should go out sometime."

"I'm right here." Qrow said.

"Yeah, and your sister's hot." Taiyang said. "So, Raven, would you like to go to dinner? I know a great restaurant just down the road."

Qrow had done his best to keep Raven away from other drivers. He knew how they were, and Taiyang was probably the worst offender. "Oh for the love of…" Qrow started.

"That sounds wonderful." Raven said. She was smitten, and the fact that dating a driver would piss off Qrow only made her more interested.

"Remember Taiyang, I'm going to be working on your cars." Qrow warned. "It would be a shame if, enraged by how you treated my sister, I were to make some mistakes."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Taiyang said. "No funny business, have her back by 10…" He and Raven walked out as Qrow shook his head.

* * *

 _Present Day_

"I can work with this." Blake said as she began disassembling one of the engines provided by Nevermore Motors. It was before dawn on the day before the first practice. "It'll take a few days to fabricate the parts but we can do it in time."

"Nevermore asked you not modify their engines." Glynda said.

"Do you want to win or not?" Blake asked. "Ren, back me up."

"We can add 25 extra horsepower for the race, 50 for qualifying trim, if we make the proper modifications." Ren said. "Without that, we can't hope to match the Schnee cars. We'll have to run most of the practices with stock engines, but we can prepare four special engines for time trials and the race."

"Just...make sure it looks like the original motor." Glynda relented. "If we get a good result I'm sure they won't care anyway." She turned her attention to Nora and Ruby who were looking over one of the chassis. "What do you two think?"

"It'll be easy to repair if anything breaks." Nora said, not exactly the feedback Glynda was expecting. "Uh...the aerodynamics look...good?"

"The suspension geometry is perfect." Ruby said from her position lying beneath the car. "It's super light too. I'm a little worried about high-speed stability but otherwise it's very good. It's almost like something I would design."

"Ladies and gentleman, your cars." Ozpin said as he led the drivers into the garage. "I give you the Nevermore VP584." The cars were both painted silver and blue, a mix of the two teams' colors instead of Nevermore's traditional green. Weiss and Yang would drive number 71, Pyrrha and Jaune 72. The cars were short and wide. In the middle was a fully enclosed cockpit, and to accommodate her height the roof of Pyrrha's car bulged slightly upward over the driver's seat. The 5.0 liter V8 engine was located in a compartment just behind the driver with numerous vents to feed it air. At the very back an aerodynamic spoiler protruded upward.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen." Pyrrha said.

"They're top secret." Ozpin said. "Today's practice will be the first time anyone sees them outside of Nevermore's test track."

"They've never been raced?" Weiss asked. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Nevermore ran them around their test track for thirty-six hours." Ozpin said. "Well, one of them. The other had some engine trouble after seven but the first completed the test without any issues. With the improvements Blake and Ren will make, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"Yang, could you take a look at this?" Ruby asked. She pointed to the steering linkage.

"Did you make that?" Yang asked.

"No." Ruby replied. "It looks like I did though, right? Weird."

"It's not that weird." Qrow said as he stepped into the garage. "I did show you how to make them after all."

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed. She rushed over and hugged him. "Did you miss me?"

"Nope." Qrow said with a big smile. "So, what do you think of my design?"

"It's amazing." Ruby replied. "If the aerodynamics work out they'll be perfect."

"So I guess this is the secret project you were working on." Yang said.

"Yeah, sorry I had to kind of disappear for a while." Qrow said. "They were really serious about the secrecy."

"I've always wanted to drive one of your cars." Yang said. "I never thought I'd actually get the chance."

"After all these years, why did you get back into racing?" Ruby asked. "I thought you said you were done with it forever."

"Well, when my niece started driving I decided it would be nice to give it one last go for her." Qrow said. "It's been too long since a Xiao-Long's driven one of my cars. Speaking of which, how's your dad?"

"I wouldn't know." Yang sighed. "He hasn't talked to me since I started racing."

"I'm sorry to hear that" Qrow said. "I'm sure he'll come around."

"What's the meaning of this?!" Weiss shouted from inside her car.

"What's the problem?" Qrow asked. "Don't like the upholstery?"

"The seat is much too far from the pedals." Weiss said. "And too low. How am I supposed to drive this?"

"You'll be sharing the car with Yang and since she's taller, the seat's positioned for her." Qrow said. "You'll have a booster seat." Weiss glared at him, seemingly looking for the right insult. "You'll just have to live with it princess." Qrow beat her to the punch. "You want a chance to beat your old man's team right? I hear he brought in your sister again."

"Winter's running this race?" Weiss gasped. Her demeanor had totally changed.

"She sure is." Qrow said. "I know she said she wouldn't after last year, but she had a change of heart when she heard you were going to. Don't you read the papers?"

"We need to beat her." Weiss said with a look of determination. "You guys had better not screw this up."

"That's more like it." Qrow said.

"Now, I trust you can all take it from here?" Ozpin said.

"Yeah, we'll leave you guys to it." Qrow said with a wave.

"You're not staying?" Ruby asked with a heartbreaking frown.

"Sorry kid, like you said, I'm retired." Qrow said. "Besides, I'm just a drunk old man. This is a young man's, or in your case young woman's game. I know you can handle it. You did have a great teacher."

Qrow and Ozpin left, strolling through the paddock together. "How have you been Qrow?" Ozpin asked as they walked.

"I've been alright." Qrow replied. "It's still hard. I assume it's the same for you."

"You have no idea." Ozpin sighed.

"How's the team looking?" Qrow asked.

"Yang is every bit the driver her father was and Ruby is a better mechanic than you ever were." Ozpin laughed. "With a little more time my engine specialist will give us something really competitive."

"What about Schnee?" Qrow asked. "Is she as insufferable as the rest of her family?"

"So far, yes." Ozpin admitted. "But something tells me she's different. She could have signed with her father's team but chose to drive for me instead. If she and Yang can get on the same page we could really have something. If not, well, it'll be a tough year."

"If anyone can do it, you can." Qrow said. "I'm really glad you brought my nieces onboard. It means a lot to me, even though Taiyang probably wants to strangle you. Have you…"

"No, I haven't spoken to him." Ozpin said. "Not since, well, you know. He doesn't answer my calls and doesn't respond to my letters. I just want to apologize, for everything."

"None of it was your fault and he knows that." Qrow said. "He also knows that you're responsible for just about all the good things in his life too. He's probably just afraid to face the past."

"I know." Ozpin said. "But I still feel bad. When I had the opportunity to sign his daughters, I saw it as a chance to make up for past mistakes, but for him I think I only made things worse. Maybe I was just being selfish, trying to relive the good old days."

"Oh, don't doubt yourself." Qrow said. "Taiyang's got to face the past. It's for his own good. It's painful, but if he doesn't come to terms with it he'll never stop hurting."

"Thank you for the kind words." Ozpin said. "Unfortunately doubting myself is something I've become accustomed to and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon. Well, it was good to see you again Qrow. I'll take good care of Yang and Ruby, I promise."

Qrow smiled. "But who'll take care of you?"

* * *

By Thursday the drivers were used to their cars. Practice times looked promising, the two Nevermores just behind the trio of Schnee cars. They might just be able to compete with the Schnees once they got their engine upgrades. Still, all was not well. For one thing, Pyrrha was the fastest driver in the group but entirely hamstrung by Jaune. Pyrrha liked a car with plenty of oversteer, loose is fast after all. Jaune could not come close to handling it. If Pyrrha was driving a 7 on Ruby's scale, Jaune needed a 2. Even then he had trouble. Pyrrha could still put up impressive times, but nothing close to what she could do with her own setup. It was not all sunshine and roses with the other pair either.

"There's too much oversteer." Weiss said after returning to the garage. "It might be good for qualifying but not the race. Once the tires start to wear it'll be undrivable."

"Every time you come in you want less oversteer." Ruby said. "Yang always wants more. You both just keep undoing each other's changes. We can't make any progress like this."

"I'm not driving it unless you tighten it up." Weiss said. "That's all there is to it."

"Can't you compromise?" Yang asked. "I'd prefer even more oversteer than it has now. This isn't going to work unless we work together."

"Tighten the car and adjust the setup for her with air pressure." Weiss suggested.

"That'll ruin the tire wear." Ruby said.

"Might I suggest a solution?" Ren asked.

"Go nuts." Ruby sighed.

"When we change drivers, we'll have time to add a wickerbill to the spoiler." Ren said.

"What's a wickerbill?" Weiss asked.

"Let me show you." Ren replied. He took a narrow strip of metal and bent it onto the top of the spoiler so that it hung over the front at a right angle. "Obviously we'll have to rig up some sort of quick-attach system that's strong enough to hold it in place."

"What's that going to do?" Yang asked.

"It'll give you more rear grip." Ren replied. "The car will be more stable, have better braking and less oversteer."

"What's the catch?" Weiss asked.

"It'll slow you down on the straights." Ruby answered. "That's going to make a decent amount of drag depending upon how big we make it."

"How much slower?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe 5 miles per hour off the top speed." Ren shrugged. "I won't know for sure until we try using it."

"Can't we just take some of the spoiler off for when Yang drives?" Weiss pressed.

"The car is already on the edge at high speed." Ruby said. "If we make the spoiler any shorter it'll probably get airborne. At the very least it would be totally unstable. I am absolutely not willing to risk it."

"Fine, I guess we can give the wickerbill a shot." Weiss relented. "It'd better not slow it down too much."

"Nora, can you rig something up?" Ren asked. "Blake and I still have work to do on the engines. I'll need to focus on that if they're going to be ready for tomorrow."

"I can do it!" Nora exclaimed. She immediately went to work on building the quick-change system. Once that was ready, making the actual wickerbill would be simple.

"Until that's ready I guess I should run some laps." Yang suggested.

"Knock yourself out." Weiss said as she walked away from the car.

Yang stepped into the car and immediately banged her head on the roof. "Ouch, what the…" She said. "Damnit Weiss, you left your booster seat in!"

"Not my problem." Weiss said. "I'm getting something to eat." She left.

"Well, at least she made a little compromise." Ruby said.

"I guess it's progress." Yang admitted. "She's still acting like a spoiled brat though. I don't know what else I could do. I gave her the number she wanted last race, I let her have all the practice time she wants, and she still treats me like garbage. She probably only compromised on the setup because she can't win the race alone."

"At least you don't have it as bad as Pyrrha." Ruby said. "She could win this race if she had a better teammate. It's a real shame."

* * *

As Friday morning dawned, Blake and Ren presented the team with a surprise. They had six modified engines instead of the expected four, one extra each for race and qualifying specifications. Working all through the night they had managed to produce a pair of extra engines to be used in the day's practice session. Nora, with a little help from Ruby, had also finished the device for the spoiler. It added a lip the covered about 90% of the spoiler's width. The only modifications they needed to make to the car were four small holes drilled in the spoiler.

"Those engines look...just like the originals." Glynda said.

"As ordered." Ren said.

"Inside they're a lot different." Blake said. She looked exhausted, entirely reasonable given that she had gotten almost no sleep since arriving in Vytal. "The piston designs were inefficient, so we changed those. The valve timing was off so we made a few changes. We replaced the carburetors because they were quite frankly terrible. A lot of the parts were too heavy or made from inferior metal, so we corrected that. Most of the piping for fuel and air was poorly designed so that was totally replaced. By far the biggest change we made was the exhaust system. We pretty much scrapped the whole thing. Plus there are a whole bunch of little changes we made to maximize efficiency."

"It all still conforms to the regulations?" Glynda asked.

"Of course." Ren replied. "We actually got more of an increase in power than expected. The dyno says we're up 33 in race trim and 76 for time trials."

"It's a good thing we brought our own transmissions because the ones Nevermore provided wouldn't be able to handle the extra power." Blake added.

* * *

With the new engine and wickerbill attached, Weiss headed out for a practice run. Without telling her, Ruby and Nora had loosened the car up even further, in line with Yang's preference. Pyrrha took her car out too, prepared for qualifying. Her times would be the team's first indication of whether or not they could compete with Schnee Automotive. The others waited in nervous anticipation.

Pyrrha returned first. "That felt incredible." She said. "With the new engine it's like a different car. You got the gearing just right too. The power is even more predictable." She got out and took off her helmet. "So, what does the time look like?"

"You beat two of the three Schnee cars and weren't far off the third." Ruby replied. "Unless they're really holding back, we've got a good shot."

Moments later Weiss returned as well. "What was the time?" She asked immediately.

"You were two seconds off the times your sister was running yesterday." Ruby said. "That's our best guess for their race pace, so when you factor in the extra grip when the tires wear, it's competitive. How was the car?"

"It's perfect." Weiss said. Ruby nearly fainted from shock. "If only that thing wasn't slowing me down on the straights. Yang should take it out now. I want a comparison." She got out of the car, leaving the door open for Yang to climb in.

Yang removed Weiss' booster seat and tossed it at her. "In the race, you're taking it out with you, or I'm throwing it into traffic." Yang said. She got situated in the car while Nora and Ruby detached the wickerbill, a process that took far less time than it did to change tires. With that taken care of, Yang headed out. Having taken the idea from what was used on Yang and Weiss' car, Ruby and Nora had made a wickerbill for Jaune too. His was quite a bit more extreme. It made it possible to make the car a bit faster for Pyrrha while still having it drivable for Jaune. At least that was the theory. He took to the track to find out of it would work.

When Yang returned to the garage she saw Weiss sitting in the corner looking annoyed. "I guess I beat her time." Yang said as Ruby stepped up to the car.

"You sure did." Ruby confirmed. "You were as fast as her sister ran in race trim."

"I bet she's regretting not compromising now." Yang said.

"Once the tires start to wear I think your times will be a lot closer." Ruby said. "So, did the holes in the spoiler cause any problems?"

"They make a nice whistling sound but otherwise no." Yang replied. "So, does she want another run or should I head back out."

Ruby turned to Weiss and gestured toward the car. Weiss sighed and got up with her helmet in one hand and booster seat in the other. "Looks like she does." Ruby said.

"That's alright." Yang said as she climbed out of the car. "I'm happy with it. I don't need another run until time trials."

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Vytal is based on Le Mans (as stated last chapter). The Amity Straight/Corner is the Mulsanne Straight/Corner.

\- The Nevermore VP584 is based on the Ford GT40. VP stand for Vytal Prototype, 5 is the engine displacement, 8 is the number of cylinders, and four is the number of valves per cylinder.

\- Yang's relationship with her father is vaguely based on Niki Lauda's with his. Though the Lauda family was wealthy, Niki's father refused to finance his son's career and actively tried to sabotage it at times.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Wholesale modification of engines by customer teams is not a thing. Plot stuff...

\- The real GT40 had a 7.0 liter V8, but I wanted to equalize the stand-in with it's Ferrari rival, putting them both at the top of the Prototype 5.0 Class.

\- The first practice before a race would not be the first time a car was seen publicly.

\- While the wickerbill solution would work in terms of tightening up the car, no sane team would use it at Le Mans, particularly in the 60's. Then, even more than now, it was a top speed track and anything that hindered that was unacceptable. Plot stuff...

\- The increase in power is a bit ridiculous, but not impossible if the original engine was sufficiently bad.


	6. Racing Round the Clock

Chapter 6

 _17 Years Ago_

Summer and Taiyang stood atop the podium, having won the 24 Hours of Vytal. It had not been close. They beat the second place team of Peter Port and Glynda Goodwitch, their teammates, by what would have amounted to a half hour of running. It had been a decent fight before the others had suffered some mechanical issues. Summer had much less racing experience than Taiyang or the other pair but she had been consistently faster throughout the race. Needless to say, Taiyang was impressed.

"So, what do you say we go to dinner to celebrate?" Taiyang suggested. "Just the two of us."

"Are you suggesting we go on a date?" Summer asked.

"It can be whatever you want it to be." Taiyang replied. "Come on, I know a great restaurant not far from here."

"That wouldn't happen to be the same restaurant you took Qrow's sister to on your first date, would it?" Summer pressed.

"He told you about that huh?" Taiyang laughed. "Things might not have worked out with Raven in the long run, but it was a hell of a date. Why couldn't lightning strike twice?"

"You never stop, do you?" Summer charged.

"Did Qrow say that too?" Taiyang asked. "How about this? I'll treat you to dinner because you won this race for us. It doesn't have to be a date at all. I'll even invite Qrow and Ozpin if you want."

"I never said I was opposed to a date." Summer said with a wink.

* * *

 _Present Day_

It was the moment of truth, time trials. Before the session was over they would know if their work had paid off, if there was any hope of outrunning the Schnee cars. Given the fixation on Schnee Automotive, they were remarkably uncooperative. Even as Pyrrha and Yang, the fastest drivers for their respective teams, made run after run, the Schnee team remained off the track. One thing was clear though: the Nevermore cars were faster than anyone else who took to the track.

With only a few minutes left in the session Pyrrha led from Yang. Both headed out, followed closely by all three Schnee cars. Schnee Automotive had produced some truly stunning cars. The curvaceous cars were vaguely wedge-shaped with bulging fenders to accommodate the wheels. A rounded cockpit rose up in the middle, sloping down to the back over the top of the 5.0 liter V12 that provided the power. The very back of the car squared up, with an aerodynamic spoiler at the rear of the deck lid. Painted a spotless white, they could have been mistaken for spacecraft. The cars were numbered 1, 2 and 3. Cars 1 and 2 were driven by Schnee Automotive's full-time sportscar racers, with the team in the 1 having won the previous year's race and championship. Winter and Penny shared the number 3. Winter would take care of the time trials. Penny was more consistent but Winter had better single lap speed.

Of the five fighting for the pole position, Yang would be the first to go. Winter would be last. Yang accelerated out of White House, the last significant corner before the start/finish line. The car rocketed down the straight, approaching 200 mph as it flashed across the line. Yang barely slowed down as she swung through the sweeping right-hand Turn 1. Over a crest and then downhill she waited as long as possible before braking for the Esses, a left-right complex that made up turns two and three. She nailed both apexes and accelerated down the short straight that followed. Next was the quick right-hand Red Mound. Yang slung the car through the corner as fast as possible and onto the Amity straight. For the next six kilometers she would keep the throttle pressed to the floor, covering the distance in just over a minute. About three quarters of the way down the stretch was the Amity Kink, a full-speed right-hander. Just before it Yang caught a glimpse of something in her side-view mirror. In rapid succession, three spotless white cars flashed past at impossible speed. She slid through the Amity Kink as the trio of Schnee cars pulled further ahead.

Yang was shocked. They were way too fast. They must have been holding back throughout the practices. She got over it quickly as her car topped the rise just before Amity Corner. Yang braked hard, the brakes screaming as she slowed to a crawl for the acute right-hander. Then it was hard on the throttle for another extended period of flat-out running. Two full-speed kinks preceded a sweeping right-hander. Yang slowed for the corner and visibly closed in on the Schnee cars ahead. Their heavy V12 engines meant they were slower in the corners. Yang slid through the turn and immediately braked for the tight, banked 90 degree left-hander that followed, called Vacuo Bend. She accelerated down the short straight into the tight 90 degree right-hand turn called Atlas Corner. Now she was right on the back of the Schnee cars, but it was time for another long straight. They disappeared into the distance before Yang closed again on the entry to White House. She got on the throttle hard and chased them all the way to the line.

The Schnee Automotive team had easily swept the top three positions. Using the draft and their massive engines, they simply overpowered the Nevermores. Winter took the top spot, followed by cars 1 and 2. Then came Pyrrha, five seconds behind and Yang another second behind her. Yang pulled into the garage feeling defeated. "The blew by me like I was standing still." She sighed as Ruby came to ask her about the car. "There's no way we can beat them."

"Pyrrha, is it really that bad?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha nodded. "They're much slower in the turns but on the straights we're no match." She reported. "Blake, is there anything we can do?"

"Ren and I might be able to squeeze a few extra horsepower out of the engines, but nothing like enough." Blake replied. "The gap should shrink once they transfer to race trim, but I doubt it'll make up for the difference."

The only emotion Weiss normally displayed was anger, but now, sitting alone in the corner of the garage, she just looked sad. It seemed her chance to defeat her sister was over before it had begun. "Just say it, unless they break it's hopeless." She sighed.

"Then we'll make them break." Pyrrha said.

"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Blake, if I run a qualifying engine in the race, do you think I'll be faster than their race setup?" Pyrrha asked.

"You'd probably be about as fast." Blake replied. "But the engine wouldn't last four hours, let alone 24."

"Ruby, how much can you lighten the car if reliability isn't a factor?" Pyrrha asked.

"I don't know, I guess a hundred kilos or so." Ruby answered. "What's the point?"

"Alright, I have a plan." Pyrrha said. "Leave the qualifying engine fitted to my car. Ruby, lighten it up as much as possible, just enough to give me two or three hours of running. Set it up to be an 8."

"But Jaune won't be able to drive it." Nora pointed out.

"He won't be driving it." Pyrrha said. "Last year, two of the three Schnee Automotive entries fell out of the race with mechanical issues. I'm going to start the race and drive as fast as physically possible until the car breaks. The Schnee cars will have to chase me, just in case I don't break. That'll break them. Yang and Weiss just need to drive at their pace and the race will fall to them. It's the only way for the team to win."

"That's...very noble of you." Weiss said. "But it still won't work. They know that once Jaune gets in the car he'll be slow, so there will be no point in chasing you."

"That's why we'll have to be a little dishonest." Pyrrha said. "We'll announce a lineup change tomorrow morning that puts Weiss in my car and Jaune in Yang's. Then, just before the first driver change, we withdraw Jaune and Weiss and swap them back. It's underhanded but perfectly within the rules."

"That might actually work." Blake gasped. "I've worked with Schnee equipment before. It's strong within a certain range, but outside that it's incredibly fragile. If we can get them to chase you, I don't think their engines will survive."

"There's only one way to find out for sure." Yang said. "We'll just have to try it. I don't suppose anyone has an alternate plan?" The others shook their heads. "Alright then, I guess it's settled."

* * *

Just before 2:00 PM on Saturday, the drivers began to line up for the start of the 24 Hours of Vytal. Their cars sat against the pit wall on the right side of the start/finish straight, angled out toward the track, the pits separated from the track by nothing but a painted line. On the far side of the track, the drivers waited along the wall opposite their cars. It was a race start like no other. The appointed time approached. The starter raised his flag and the drivers tensed up like sprinters waiting for the starting gun. The flag dropped and the drivers ran across the track and jumped in their cars, firing the engines and peeling away. Well, most of them did.

Winter thought the whole thing was dangerous and stupid. She casually walked across the track, some of other drivers having to swerve to avoid her. She sat in her car, carefully fastened and tightened her seatbelts, then started the engine. The other cars were long gone by the time she finally slipped it into gear and took to the track. Why risk life and limb to get a fast start? It was a 24 hour race. There would be plenty of time to make up the lost seconds.

Yang and Pyrrha, on the other hand, had shown their athleticism. They had been the first across and the first away. Pyrrha already had a sizable lead by the time she reached the first turn. She could not afford to lose any time. She rocketed down the Amity Straight as Yang yielded second and third to Schnee cars 1 and 2. Blake had been right. With an engine configured for qualifying Pyrrha had just enough power to match the Schnee cars. Once she got the the corners, where the Nevermores already had the advantage, she would gain even more thanks to Ruby's modifications to the chassis.

By the end of the Amity Straight, Winter had made her way past most of the cars in slower classes. At the end of the first lap, she was fifth, not far behind Yang. Pyrrha and the other Schnee cars had already run away to a several-second lead. On the second run down the Amity Straight, Winter passed Yang. Then she did something worrying. After furiously tearing through the field to get to that position, she slowed down. As the race continued it became clear that she was not falling for Pyrrha's ploy. She just ran her own race, a second or two faster than Yang per lap.

Winter was not driving like her usual emotional self. There was a good reason: it had cost her the race the year before. She had been dominating with just five hours left, three laps ahead of her one remaining teammate, who in turn was five laps ahead of third place. She could have taken it easy but she kept pushing. Then the engine disintegrated and it was all over. Frustrated and embarrassed, she had vowed never to run the race again, but her sister's entry for a rival team drew her back for one more shot.

Yang, for her part, probably could have kept up with Winter. That, however, would have put undue stress on the car, stress that over 24 hours would likely break it. Aware of what her own team was trying to do, she was not about to fall into the same trap. She, like Winter, ran her own race. She was already far faster than the rest of the field. If the three Schnee cars broke, and given Winter's pace that was a big if, the race would indeed fall to her.

* * *

The first casualty of Pyrrha's gambit came just an hour and a half into the race. The driver of the number 2 was pushing hard to catch Pyrrha. Too hard. He took the sweeper before Vacuo Bend just a little too fast, ran wide into the grass, and smacked the armco. The left side of the car was crushed and the suspension destroyed, but at least the driver was uninjured. Still, it was race over for one of Schnee Automotive's entries. Pyrrha's plan was working, even if not quite as intended.

Pyrrha was somewhat surprised that her car was still running at the two hour mark. It would normally be time for a driver change, but she stayed in the car. Yang pulled into the pits and Weiss took over. The Schnee team did not catch on. A driver had once won the race by running almost the entire thing solo, 23.5 hours, so the theory was that Pyrrha was attempting to do the same. Ciel Soleil took the wheel of Schnee Automotive car number 1 and continued the chase. Winter came in and handed her car off to Penny. Penny continued Winter's strategy of running safe, consistent laps. Worse, she was gaining more time on the 71 thanks to the wickerbill that slowed Weiss on the straights. It only amounted to about a half a second per lap, but over a couple of hours it really added up.

A half hour later saw Pyrrha's plan come one step closer to success. Halfway down the Amity Straight, the number 1's engine came apart in a cloud of smoke. Ciel was forced to pull off to the side, race over. That just left Pyrrha and Penny. Penny was still not falling for it. Even as Pyrrha came around to lap the number 3, Penny did not deviate from her strategy.

Three and a half hours after the start of the race, Pyrrha returned to the pits. Without a word she turned off the engine, opened the door and stepped out of the car. It looked fine. "What's up?" Ruby asked.

"It's done." Pyrrha said. "I can feel it. The engine doesn't have another lap in it."

Blake rushed to the back of the car and opened up the engine compartment. "Everything looks to be in order." She said. She was surprised at just how well the engine had held up. It must have had something to do with Pyrrha's driving style. Ren had said she was very gentle with the equipment. "Could you do me a favor and fire it up?"

Pyrrha shrugged and leaned into the car. She flipped the switch to start the engine and it came to life with a thunderous roar. Then there was the shriek of metal grinding against metal and loud banging as the engine self-destructed. "I told you." Pyrrha said. She flipped the switch to turn it off, not that it really mattered.

"Next time I'll take your word for it." Blake said, oil splattered all over her.

* * *

Night fell and it became a whole different race. Dazzling headlights and barely-visible tail lights were the only things visible on track in the impenetrable darkness. It was an intoxicating mix of beauty and danger. Many of the fans went home, retired to campsites, or just slept under the stars. Others stayed awake, reveling in the carnival atmosphere that surrounded the race. Some drivers slept while their teammates drove, others were too full of adrenaline. For the mechanics there was no rest. They could catch a nap but always with the knowledge that their services could be needed at a moment's notice.

Eight hours into the race, one third of the distance, Winter and Penny led by over a lap. They had further slowed down, now only going fast enough to maintain the lead. It was disheartening to Weiss and Yang but they kept racing. There was always the chance, however slim, that their rival might suffer some malfunction. Drivers were not immune to mistakes either, and one slip could change the whole race.

"There has been an incident." The announcement came over the loudspeakers just before midnight. During the day, when it was easy to see the cars, word of who was involved would spread quickly. At night, the only way to figure it out was to wait and see. Winter and Yang both circulated back around, so they were not involved, much to the relief of their teams. Word was beginning to spread though. There was a crash in the Amity Kink, and a fire.

Yang confirmed as much as she handed the car over to Weiss, but had no time to go into detail with her teammate during the quick driver change. "We heard there was a crash." Ruby said as Yang ducked into the garage, hoping to get some sleep. "What happened?"

"It looked bad, big fire." Yang replied. "It's still burning."

"Do you know who it is?" Blake asked.

"No." Yang answered. "The car was too burned, but it's not like I could have seen anyway as fast as I was driving past."

"Did the driver get out?" Ruby asked.

"I doubt it." Yang replied. "It looked very bad. Unless he was really lucky...I shouldn't speculate. If you don't mind, I'm going to try to get some sleep. Wake me up if anything important happens." Yang headed out the back of the garage to the trailer the team had set up as a place where the drivers could sleep. She needed to be sharp, and to be sharp she needed rest. It would not come easy, but any little bit would help.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- With Vytal standing in for Le Mans, the corners are as follows: Turn 1 = Dunlop, Esses = Esses, Red Mount = Tertre Rouge, Amity Straight/Kink/Corner = Mulsanne Straight/Kink/Corner, Vacuo Bend = Indianapolis, Atlas Corner = Arnage, White House = Maison Blanche.

\- The Schnee Automotive cars are based on the Ferrari 330 P3, with some modifications for story purposes.

\- Pyrrha's plan to break the Schnee cars is based on Sir John Surtees' plan to do the same to the Fords in 1966. The team manager overruled him and Surtees quit Ferrari in protest. Surtees' departure ruined Ferrari's F1 program for years and its endurance racing program has not won overall at Le Mans since.

\- Winter's stroll is based on a protest carried out by Jacky Ickx in 1969. On the first lap of that race, another driver was killed when he crashed at Maison Blanche and was thrown from the car due to his improperly fastened belts. Ickx won the race.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Qualifying at Le Mans is not a single session, then or now.

\- The Ferrari 330 P3 had a 4.0 L V12, not 5.0, but I wanted the hero cars to be more equal. It was also hopelessly overpowered by the Ford GT, not the other way around. I pretty much flipped the performance characteristics of the two cars. Plot stuff...

\- Regular, every-two-hours driver changes are convenient for writing but not realistic.

\- There were no fatal accidents during the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, though there was one during testing. There were a number of accidents but none quite so spectacular.


	7. Down to the Wire

Chapter 7

 _One Year Ago_

Taiyang stared at the photo as he often did. Staring back was Summer, along with Ruby and Yang, still so young, and him. Those were happier times, when his eyes were so full of joy. It was before he became a sad old man in a big empty house, crying alone. He wondered what he had done to deserve it all, to have everything and then to lose it in the blink of an eye. He had spent years trying to find some meaning, some reason, anything really, but all her ever found was pain and sadness. And it only ever got worse.

A knock at the door startled Taiyang. He placed the photo face down on the table and wiped his face, hoping to hide his pain. Another knock. "Just a minute." He said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling himself to face the world. Then he opened the door.

Qrow stood there, taking a sip from his flask. "Everything alright?" Qrow asked.

"Fine." Taiyang replied. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to talk." Qrow answered.

"You could have done that over the phone." Taiyang said.

"Some things are better said face-to-face." Qrow insisted.

"Fine, come in." Taiyang relented. He gestured toward the couch and Qrow dutifully sat down. Taiyang sat in a chair next to him. Qrow had always been a good friend, and Taiyang had enjoyed spending time with him, but now just the sight of him brought painful memories. Qrow no doubt shared many of them, drowning them in alcohol to stay sane. Taiyang had no such solace.

"I hear you kicked Yang out." Qrow said, cutting straight to the chase. "Ruby seemed pretty broken up about it the last time we talked."

"I did what had to be done." Taiyang said. "I told her that if she became a race car driver, she would no longer be my daughter. I still hope she might give it up and come back."

"Would you have given it up?" Qrow asked. "I don't think so. Racing was everything to you. It was your life. You were never happier than when you were behind the wheel. Is it so hard to believe that she would feel the same?"

"I had no idea what I was getting into." Taiyang countered. "She knows the dangers. She knows how it can destroy the people around you. Me, I was young and dumb."

"Now you're old and dumb." Qrow shot back. "Why do you have to be so stubborn? She's going to live her life whether you approve or not. All you've done is caused everyone involved to suffer."

"She tore this family apart!" Taiyang shouted, jumping to his feet.

"No, you tore it apart!" Qrow yelled, standing and getting in his face. "Instead of facing the past, facing your pain, you're forcing it onto her. And it's spreading. Now Ruby's caught in the middle so she's hurting to. What would Summer say if she saw you now?"

"Don't you dare use her name like that." Taiyang growled.

"She would be so disappointed in you." Qrow continued. "She would..."

"Get out of my house." Taiyang ordered through gritted teeth, his fists balled at his sides..

"Or what?" Qrow challenged. "You'll throw me out? Call the cops? Go ahead. I'm really glad Summer's not here to see what you've become." Taiyang roared and punched Qrow in the jaw. Qrow reeled, staggering back holding his face. "Fine, I'll go." He headed for the door as Taiyang glared at him. "The person I came to see isn't here anyway, just some sad old fool with my friend's face."

With that Qrow left, slamming the door behind him. Taiyang sat down and wept.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Two thirds of the way through the race dawn broke cold and foggy. For the Nevermore team things were looking increasingly hopeless. Winter and Penny had pulled out yet another lap. It seemed they could increase their lead at will. Not that they needed any help but Yang and Weiss had both provided some. Approaching a lapped car during the night, Weiss had misjudged the pass, clipped the car and spun. Somehow she had not hit anything, but it did cost time. A little later, Yang slid off the track at Vacuo Bend and barely avoided striking the wall. They were delays the team could ill afford, but at least they were still on track, more than could be said about many of the other competitors.

Winter flew down the foggy Amity Straight, approaching a slower car from one of the other classes. She moved left to pass the car on the outside as they swung through the Amity Kink. Just as Winter was about to complete the pass she felt her car shudder as the lapper slid wide and clipped her right rear, having not seen her in the difficult conditions. The car began to over rotate to the right and Winter corrected back to the left. The wheels caught, a little too much, and the car snapped back to the left. She spun the wheel back right but it was too late and the car slapped the armco with its side. The car rolled on. The engine was still running and it could drive, but the suspension was badly bent and the body work on the left side was shredded.

Winter limped the car back to the pits, kicking herself for not giving the lapped car more room and wanting to strangle its driver. This could very well cost her the race, another late disappointment in a race she should have won easily. By the time she got the car to the attention of the crew, Yang had not only unlapped herself, she had taken the lead. Winter remained in the car, furious at herself and the other driver, who had gotten away without damage. "Is it fixable?" Winter asked the mechanic.

"We need to replace most of the left side, but yes, it's fixable." The mechanic replied.

"How long will it take?" Winter asked.

"We should be done in less than half an hour." The mechanic answered.

"We can still win this." Winter declared. "Get it done quick but make sure it's right. We're going to have to push to make up for this." Winter was up to the challenge. Penny and the mechanics were too. If the car was they might be able to claw it back and win.

The mood in the Nevermore garage was entirely different. There was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The race was now theirs to lose. They knew Schnee Automotive was not done. Only perfection would keep Yang and Weiss out front, a big ask for a team of rookies.

Twenty minutes of repairs later and Winter was back out on track. She had lost six laps to Yang. With less than eight hours to go victory was not impossible, but it would take a Herculean effort. If anyone was going to put in that effort it was the defending F1 champion. Critically, she was not going to destroy her car the way her teammates had. She knew how to go fast without wrecking the equipment. She needed to gain twenty minutes. That amounted to about three minutes an hour, just under a lap. If they paced themselves, she and Penny could do it.

* * *

With about four hours to go, Yang took over for what she expected to be her final two hours in the car. With Weiss behind the wheel, Penny had made up two laps in addition to the one Winter had gained against Yang. It was going to be very, very close. "How hard can I push the car?" Yang asked as the crew finished fueling it and changing tires.

"Go as hard as you can." Blake said. "It should be fine but if it breaks, it breaks. We're here to win, not finish second."

The crew finished and Yang peeled out, rejoining the race. Now was not the time to hold anything back, but she could not afford to go over the limit and make mistakes. Driving on the limit was always a dangerous thing. Some drivers could do it, some could not. The ones who could not were slow or dead. Yang had walked that fine line in her F2 race at Grand Patch and the Grand Prix of Mistral, but this was a whole different order. Driving on the edge for a half hour or hour was one thing. Being perfect for two was something else entirely.

While Yang was on track doing everything in her power to keep Winter at bay, the rest of the team could only sit in the garage, watching and waiting. Weiss felt terrible. She had seen the lap times from she and Yang's previous two stints and Yang was clearly faster. In fact, if Yang had stayed in the car, they would probably still have a four lap lead instead of one that was now under three laps. She hated it but had to admit that, at least on this day, she was the inferior driver.

The mechanics had other worries. They had done all they could to prepare the car and keep it on track. Now it was in the drivers' hands. Still, they feared that a mistake had been made. It would only take the tiniest error - a loose bolt, a loose wire - to render everyone's work pointless.

* * *

With two hours left Yang returned to the pits. Winter was only a lap and a half behind. She had just pit and gone back out without the usual driver change. It looked like it would be a matchup of sister versus sister. Yang started to get out of the car but Weiss appeared at her door and pushed her back inside. "Weiss, what are you doing?" Yang asked.

"You're staying in the car." Weiss replied.

"What...why?" Yang stammered.

Weiss sighed heavily. "The only way we're going to win is if you're driving." Weiss admitted. "I'm not nearly fast enough to stay ahead of Winter. You are."

"Weiss...I...thank you." Yang said.

"Now don't…" Weiss started.

"I know, don't screw this up." Yang cut her off. "See you in the winner's circle." The pit crew finished their work and Yang roared back out onto the track. It would be Yang versus Winter, strength versus strength.

* * *

Every lap Yang looked left as she passed the pits. Ruby held a board with her previous lap's time, the time remaining in the race, and her lead over Winter. As the final two hours of the race went on, all those numbers shrunk. As time waned Yang went faster, pressured by Winter who was ever closer. Winter was going faster too. She was not there to finish second either. As far as she was concerned it was win or bust. Winter had unlapped herself with just under an hour and a half remaining. It was going to be close.

Yang flew across the line under the white flag. There was just one lap remaining. The pit board said Winter was only seven seconds behind and that information was a lap old. With worn tires, an exhausted driver and a chassis battered by 24 hours of continuous racing, it was not the ideal time to be driving on the limit. There was no other choice. Yang slid the car through the first turn then careened downhill into the second corner. She briefly locked the brakes but still hit her apexes as she swung the car left then right. After a short straight she wrestled the car through the final turn before the crucial Amity Straight. The track ahead of her was clear. Lapped cars would not be a factor. For the next six kilometers all she could do was keep checking her mirrors, hoping the onrushing white car would never appear.

Just before the Amity Kink Winter spotted Yang. She was close, but not close enough that Yang would be able to see her yet. She had to catch Yang, had to make up for the year before and her mistake in the morning. She closed as the cars slowed for the Amity Corner. Now Yang surely saw her. As the cars blasted down the fast stretch that led to Vacuo Bend Winter closed even more. She would not be able to make the pass in time to get ahead and block where her car was slower.

Yang could see Winter closing in. As the pair slowed for the right-hand sweeper before Vacuo Bend, Yang pulled away. The tires screamed in protest as she slung the car through the corner as fast as she dared. Then it was hard on the brakes for Vacuo Bend. She swung through the banked corner and blasted down the short straight to Atlas Corner. She pulled out of Atlas with a good lead on Winter.

Winter floored it out of Atlas Corner, spinning her worn-out tires as they struggled for traction. They finally gripped and the car leapt forward. She chased Yang down the straight toward White House. Yang blocked right and Winter pulled alongside her on the left. She just began to edge ahead when it was time to brake.

Yang had the inside line and braked later, surging ahead as she slid her car through the right-left combination at White House. Winter was right behind her, both struggling to find grip as they launched out onto the final run to the checkered. Yang could see Winter get a little sideways in her mirror before finding the grip she needed. Yang reached up and smacked her mirror, breaking its attachment point. She did not need the distraction now. She focused her eyes on the finish line, the throttle buried and the engine screaming. Even over the roar of her own engine she could hear Winter's car getting closer. There was nothing she could do about that now. Blocking would surely lead to a crash as neither driver was willing to given an inch.

The cars flashed across the line, taking the checkered flag side-by-side. After an entire day of racing, changing conditions, mistakes and moments of heroism, it came down to a photo finish. The cars continued on beside each other as they slowed, neither driver sure who had won. They would not find out until they got back. One car would be waved into the winner's circle, the other would be waved away, its driver forced to stand on the second step of the podium.

* * *

The scene that greeted the two drivers was chaotic. Instead of being waved on, both cars were stopped before the winner's circle. Two race officials were having a heated discussion. Ozpin stood nearby, listening with interest. Winter's father was there too. A third official was holding him back, keeping him from interfering with the decision.

"What's going on?" Yang asked Ozpin. "Did I win?"

"It's complicated." Ozpin said. "It was a tie."

"At tie!" Yang shouted. "How could it be a tie?! It can't finish in a tie!"

"It won't." Ozpin said. "That's what the officials are arguing about. Get back in your car. I have a feeling I know how this will go."

"But…" Yang started but Ozpin just waved her back to her car.

Another race official had ushered Winter back to her car. "Hell of a drive Xiao-Long." Winter shouted over the din. "Whatever they decide, you should be proud."

"Thanks." Yang said. "Right back at ya'."

The officials finished their discussion. One shrugged and went to Mr. Schnee to explain the decision. The other stopped in front of Yang's car momentarily and shook his head. Then he stepped aside and waved Yang toward the winner's circle. Yang was shocked. She stalled the car as she tried to get it moving. She refired it and rolled into victory lane.

Outside Winter had gotten out of her car and was attempting to calm her father. He was apoplectic. "I'm sorry Mr. Schnee, they started behind your car so they technically covered a longer distance." The official explained. "Therefore, they must be declared the winners."

"Those are the rules father." Winter said. "I'm disappointed too but making a scene won't fix things."

"I'll see you all in court!" Mr. Schnee shouted. "You'll all be ruined by the time I get done with you! They'll never run this race again!"

Winter was embarrassed by her father's behavior, though she could certainly sympathize with his frustration. She had just put in a heroic effort and come as close to winning as possible without succeeding. Still, she intended to take the high road. "Your whole team did a fantastic job." She said to Ozpin, shaking his hand. "It was truly an honor to share the track with them today."

"Thank you for the kind words Ms. Schnee." Ozpin said. "Your own performance was nothing short of astounding. Now, I think we have a podium to get to."

* * *

Yang sat in the car for some time, unable to believe she had won the 24 Hours of Vytal in her first attempt. Even great drivers went their whole careers without succeeding. Winter was an example. She was a Formula 1 World Champion and had tried to win the race for years, but had always come up short. It was a lot to take in.

"So, are you going to sit there or are we going to the podium?" Weiss asked, appearing at Yang's window.

"Yeah, of course...I was...I'm just exhausted." Yang stammered. She climbed out of the car and went to the stage with Weiss, waiting for their names to be called.

The Master of Ceremonies stepped in front of the podium, microphone in hand. Just below was Yang's car, a mass of cheering fans just beyond. "Finishing in third place, first in the Prototype 2.0 class, Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias!" He announced. The pair rushed out, jumping and cheering as they made their way to the third step on the podium. Once there they were handed a trophy. "Finishing in second, second in the Prototype 5.0 class, Winter Schnee and Penny Polendina!" The pair walked out, Penny smiling and waving, Winter impassive, and made their way to the second step where they were handed their slightly larger trophy. "And now, finishing first overall and first in the Prototype 5.0 class, Yang Xiao-Long and Weiss Schnee!" Yang ran to the front of the stage, pumping her fists in the air and shouting, playing to the crowd. Weiss walked out, unable to suppress a wide smile as she joined Yang in waving to the crowd. The pair retreated to the top step of the podium. Weiss took hold of their trophy and Yang was handed a magnum of champagne. "And now the winning team owner and manufacturer! Welcome Ozpin and Hank Nevermore!" The two old men smiled and waved politely before standing beside the winning drivers. Each got his own trophy.

"Allow me to introduce Hank Nevermore, owner of Nevermore Motors." Ozpin said to Weiss and Yang. "Without his help this wouldn't have been possible."

"Oh stop it Ozpin, your people did all the hard work." Hank said. "All I did was sign a check."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm thirsty." Yang said. With muscles cramping and tired from exertion, she struggled to open the champagne. When the cork gave way it shot out over Hank's shoulder, followed by a spray of liquid that soaked the illustrious businessman and Ozpin beside him. "Oh crap." Yang said. She had just soaked her bosses. Thinking quickly she covered the bottle's opening with her finger, shook it up, and using her finger as a nozzle, sprayed champagne over the other drivers and then out onto the fans below. Once everyone was sufficiently drenched and there was no more carbonation left, she took a big swig from the bottle before handing it to Weiss.

"Thanks for the shower." Weiss groaned. She lifted the bottle in a faux toast before taking a sip. Then she turned the bottle over and dumped the remaining contents on Yang's head. "Nice driving."

"You weren't bad yourself." Yang said. She found having champagne dumped on her head surprisingly refreshing. "Letting me stay in the car, that was big of you."

"Don't read too much into it." Weiss said. "I just wanted to win."

"Thank you." Yang said, wrapping Weiss in a brief hug. They still may not be entirely on the same page, but they had certainly made big strides. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

* * *

Winning the 24 Hours of Vytal was a thrill unlike anything Yang had ever experienced. The celebration went on for hours, even after the public show on the podium ended. She spoke to the press, celebrated with the team, and there was even a party thrown in her and Weiss' honor by the organizers. Still, once everything calmed down, she could not help but feel sad. She had dreamed of this day, but something was missing. She had always imagined that her father would be at her side, celebrating with her, but the two had not even spoken in over a year. It hurt just to think about it. Even if she was hurting she could not show it. This was Ruby's victory too and Yang was not going to allow herself to do anything to bring her sister down.

* * *

For Weiss the victory was the culmination of years of work. She had been driving race cars for a some time, and now was the winner of the world's most prestigious sports car race. It was an achievement even her sister had not earned. She was no longer in her sister's shadow, at least for today. Best of all, she had done it without her father's help. Now no one could say her success was all down to him. It also made her extremely happy that he was the one of the receiving end. His rage and frustration made victory that much sweeter.

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Winter's accident is based on the almost yearly trend of a lap car idiotically taking out someone fighting for the lead. And it always seems to be a GT Ferrari.

\- In the event of a tie at Le Mans, the rules are as explained. It came into play in 1966 when Ford attempted to stage a one, though they got it wrong anyway.

\- Hank Nevermore represents Henry Ford II. All he did was sign a check, in the case of the GT40 that check was to Carol Shelby.

\- Yang's spraying champagne was inspired by Dan Gurney who invented the practice in 1967. Depending upon who you ask it was either an accident as depicted here, or intentional to soak the members of the media who predicted he would fail.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The podium ceremony is inaccurate.

\- As stated above, spraying champagne in victory lane was invented in 1967, not '66.


	8. Vytal GP

Chapter 8

 _15 Years Ago_

The Vytal Grand Prix was being held on the same circuit as the 24 Hours of Vytal. Taiyang had won the famous endurance race two years before, but since the circuit had been bad to him. In the previous year's 24 Hours, he had blown a tire in the Amity Kink and gone straight through the armco. Somehow he had walked away uninjured. In the Grand Prix just two weeks later he had qualified on the pole then had his engine explode on the start. In this year's 24 Hours he and Summer had been leading with just a few hours left when their transmission broke and took them out of contention.

Now Taiyang was looking to turn his luck around. The race was only about half over but he was leading. It was a close race with James Ironwood for Schnee Automotive in a close second and Summer right behind in third. The three were in a similarly close race for the championship. James had the advantage in points but a win would bring Taiyang into at least a tie. Summer was just a few points further back.

Taiyang got on the brakes for Amity Corner and took a look in his mirror to make sure James was not attempting a pass. He had been a little far back the last time Taiyang checked but James was an aggressive driver and Taiyang would not have been surprised by a dive-bomb move. What Taiyang saw when he looked in the mirror was a lot more alarming. James was closing in fast, way too fast.

James hit the brakes to slow for Amity Corner and immediately knew he had a problem. Judging by the way the car jerked to the right, he had lost the left front brake. He struggled to keep the car going straight, it would slow more effectively that way and if he hit anything there was more protection for him up front. He closed in on Taiyang's silver machine and tried to edge around it.

Taiyang braced as the white car in his mirror grew larger. Their wheels met, shearing the right wheels off of Taiyang's car and sending James into a wild tumble. James' car rolled over and over before the driver was flung out. He landed in the grass on the outside of the turn, his car coming to a rest nearby. Grinding on its belly in a shower of sparks, Taiyang's car slid past the corner and into the grass beside where James lie. Summer picked her way through the debris and continued the race.

Taiyang was unhurt but he was worried about James. He jumped out of his car and rushed to James' side. James lie flat on his back. He was bloody and his right arm was twisted at a sickening angle, but he was moaning which meant he was alive. "James, are you alright?" Taiyang asked.

"No." James groaned. Consciousness was a good sign. "My chest hurts."

"Yeah, you've probably got some broken ribs buddy." Taiyang said. James attempted to get up but Taiyang forced him back down. "Stay down, you don't want to make it worse." Taiyang advised. He closely examined James' injured arm. It looked like the only thing holding it on was James' racing suit. He was probably going to lose it. Taiyang checked the rest of James' body. His right leg was in bad shape too, fractured so badly that the bone had punched through his pant leg. He might lose that limb as well.

"That bad huh?" James said. "I can see it in your face."

Taiyang was not sure what to say. He decided on honesty. "Yeah, your arm looks pretty bad. Your leg's not great either."

* * *

 _Present Day_

As it had 15 years before, the Vytal Grand Prix was being held at the same circuit as the 24 Hours. Most of the drivers had been involved in the endurance race, so they were fairly well acquainted with the track. Being yet another power track the Schnee team were the favorites. Coffee Inc. with their older Schnee engines and Phase Two with their Schnee-like engines were also expected to do well. For Beacon GP, it should have been a struggle just to score points.

"I learned a lot from working with Ren and the Nevermore engine." Blake said. "I think we might be able to close the gap to Schnee Automotive."

"So why don't you look happy?" Yang asked.

"These upgrades are a lot more complicated than what we were dealing with for the 24 Hours." Blake said. "I only had time to prepare one race engine. For time trials you'll have to deal with what we've had, and in the race…"

"One of us is going to have to use the old engine." Yang finished for her. "This is awkward."

"I thought so." Blake said.

"You take it." Weiss sighed. Yang was flabbergasted. The others were taken aback as well.

"You're going to have to say that again, I think I'm hallucinating." Yang said.

"You're higher in points, so it only makes sense that you'd get the upgrade first." Weiss said. She did not seem happy about it. Since the 24 Hours she seemed like an entirely different person, though she still had the occasional outburst.

Yang did not want to jeopardize the team's tenuous grip on harmony. "No, it makes more sense for you to use it." Yang said. "The team will be stronger with two successful drivers. I've got some points. Now it's your turn."

"I hope you're not doing this so I'll owe you a favor." Weiss said.

"Blake, are these upgrades reliable?" Yang asked.

"Not as reliable as the engine we've been using." Blake admitted. "I'm confident but we won't know until we race it."

"See Weiss, risk/reward." Yang said. "I'm up in points so you take the chances. It might make you faster but you might break."

"I'll take that chance." Weiss said. "You'll regret giving up the opportunity."

* * *

The practice results were fairly predictable. Winter led every single one from Penny with a mix of Coco, Yatsuhashi, Emerald and Mercury following. Yang and Weiss were the best of the rest but Pyrrha was ominously close. Apparently Ren had learned a few tricks too because their hopelessly obsolete engines suddenly seemed to have a little life. Sun and Neptune were quick and, coming off their class victory in the 24 Hours, confident. If Yang or Weiss slipped Haven Racing Team would be there.

On qualifying day it looked like rain was in the offing, but as the time approached the clouds lifted, much to the disappointment of most of the field. Things got off to a highly predictable start. At the very start of the session the two Schnee drivers went out and laid down blistering times. They then returned to the garage, got out of their cars and waited. Penny was happy to start second and Winter was confident that they would be unassailable.

And so it proved. In the closing minutes Coco was third followed by Mercury, Emerald and Yatsuhashi. All four were well clear of the rest but well short of the Schnee cars. Pyrrha was next with Yang and Sun hot on her heels. Weiss slotted in next, just ahead of Neptune. Weiss had not been comfortable in the car at the start. After shouting at Ruby and Blake for a while she calmed down and gave them the feedback they needed. Weiss would have the car the way she wanted it for one final run. Pyrrha's qualifying engine was toast, so she would have to sit on her time. With just a few minutes left Yang and Weiss headed out for one last attempt.

Weiss slowed heading into White House, letting Yang get far enough ahead that she would not interfere with Weiss' lap. She accelerated out of the corner and rocketed toward the start/finish line. She flashed across the line to start her lap and slung the car into the first turn. This car had less power and less weight than the Nevermore so she took the corner flat out, crested the rise and drove down the hill toward the second corner. She was hard on the brakes, slid through turn 2 and quickly cut back through the third turn. After a short straightaway she blasted out of the fourth turn and onto the Amity Straight. She caught sight of something silver out of the corner of her eye to the right. It was Yang. Her qualifying engine, already near its maximum mileage, had let go. She was done.

Weiss continued down the Amity Straight, hoping her own engine would hold. The car oversteered through the Amity Kink but she had no trouble holding it. Uphill and back down Weiss slammed on the brakes for Amity Corner. She nailed the apex and accelerated into the next long stretch of flat-out running. She drove into the corner before Vacuo Bend as fast as she dared and the car oversteered severely. Weiss just managed to regain control in time to brake for Vacuo Bend. She swept through the banked corner then down the short straight to Atlas Corner. She spun the tires a little on exit and rocketed off toward White House. Braking hard she navigated the right-left complex and roared out onto the main straight. Moments later she crossed the line to complete her lap. She was disappointed. If she had held the car better in the turn before Vacuo Bend she would have been faster.

She need not have worried. Winter and Penny had indeed held onto the top two spots. They were followed by Coco, Mercury, Emerald and Yatsuhashi. Still no surprises. In seventh was Weiss with Pyrrha eighth, followed by Sun, Yang and Neptune. Weiss was relieved. If Yang had out-qualified her there would have been pressure for Weiss to give up the upgraded engine. As it stood, it only made sense for her to have it. Still, it was an unknown quantity. It would surely be an interesting race.

* * *

Race day dawned sunny and warm. By the time the cars lined up on the grid it was sweltering, unseasonably hot. Fans stuck to what shade there was and the teams hid in their garages, but for the drivers there was no escape. Before they even set out on their parade lap they were soaked in sweat. It was going to be a difficult day for the drivers and their machines.

The cars rolled onto the grid for the start as the starter held the green flag high. The drivers revved their engines, chomping at the bit during what seemed an interminable wait. Finally the flag dropped and the cars were off. Winter and Penny leapt away from the field. Weiss got a bad start. The upgraded engine was more powerful than she had anticipated and she spun the tires badly, allowing Pyrrha, Sun and Yang to get past. Starting fifteenth, a career best, Jaune stalled on the grid. By the time he got going the rest of the field was long gone.

Winter led from Penny as the cars rushed out onto the Amity Straight for the first lap. Behind the pair were Mercury, Coco, Emerald and Yatsuhashi. Before reaching the straightaway's halfway mark, Pyrrha had slipped behind Sun and Yang, her engine just not up to the task. Weiss roared by and closed in on Yang. Just before the Amity Kink Yang stepped out to the right and drove up alongside Sun. Weiss was closing quick and was not about to lift. She jumped to Sun's left and the cars tore through the corner three-wide, inches separating their wheels. Yang completed the pass on sun as Weiss blew past. Under braking for Amity Corner, Yang solidified her position in front of Sun while Pyrrha closed in. Pyrrha's chassis was good, even if the engine was still garbage.

Weiss had catching up to do. Her bad start left her several seconds behind the pack of four that was chasing the Schnee cars. However slim the chance, if Weiss was going to win she needed to catch and pass the quartet as soon as possible. She was on a mission, on the limit, and she was about to get a little help. On lap four the lack of reliability in Phase Two's engines reared its head once again. Emerald's engine went up in smoke on the straight between Atlas Corner and White House.

Two laps later Weiss caught the remaining trio. She was only a little faster, but faster nonetheless. On the straights she was still down on power, just, and in the turns she clearly had a superior chassis. She used the draft to hang onto the back of Yatsuhashi's car as they careened down the Amity Straight. Through the Kink and up the hill she stayed tucked behind him. Just as they crested the rise Weiss darted to the right and pulled up alongside under braking. She drove deeper into the corner and got a better exit, cementing her position.

Coco and Mercury were in the midst of their own battle. The pair fought tooth and nail all around the track. Weiss repeatedly found the way by blocked as the two ran side-by-side. Growing increasingly frustrated, she sat behind them for two long laps. Then, finally, there was an opening. Coco dove to the right of Mercury as they swept through the first turn. Coco, just as frustrated as Weiss, ran Mercury wide, forcing him to lift lest he be forced off the track. Weiss easily passed him as they entered turn two.

Weiss got up to the back of Coco's car and followed her down the Amity Straight, using the draft again to keep up. She intended to use the same move she had used to pass Yatsuhashi. After cresting the hill before Amity Corner she ducked to the right but Coco matched the move. Weiss moved back left as Coco protected the inside line. Weiss was able to get alongside Coco but was on the outside once they got to the corner and had to slot in behind her. Both drivers were heading for danger, but neither knew it.

Up ahead Penny's engine overheated and broke, spilling oil all over the track in the turn before Vacuo Bend. Coco and Weiss arrived seconds later, already driving on the limit. Coco hit the oil and slid sideways and out into the grass on the outside of the corner. Weiss slid sideways too, her left rear tire edging onto the grass. She kept her cool and regained control as Coco slid into the armco. Alerted by the pair's slide, Mercury slowed and safely navigated the corner behind them with some difficulty. It was only then that the marshals displayed the flags that indicated a hazardous surface.

It had been a hair-raising moment but Weiss made it through and kept second place. Now only her sister remained between her and her first victory. If the pit board was showing accurate intervals, she was closing in, lap after lap. It was a long and exhausting race, but with five laps to go Winter was in view. It was a reverse of the 24 Hours. After Penny's engine failure, Winter was nursing her car around, going just fast enough to stay ahead, bleeding the considerable lead she had built up until it was almost gone.

Winter knew Weiss was coming and picked up her pace. Weiss pushed ever harder. She had long since driven away from Mercury and Yatsuhashi and had only Winter ahead of her to worry about. On the final lap Weiss had arrived. The sisters roared down Amity Straight, Weiss falling back even with the draft pulling her along. Winter's engine was too strong. Under braking and through Amity Corner, Weiss closed back in only for Winter to pull away again. On entry to Atlas Corner, Weiss dove to the right in a desperate bid to make the pass for the win. She moved ahead but out-broke herself and slid wide, allowing Winter to cut back underneath her to retake the lead. From there it was academic. White House was not a viable place to pass someone in a similarly quick car. Weiss followed Winter through and they ran nose-to-tail all the way to the line.

Winter had won again, but she was joined by a newcomer to the podium. Weiss had her first podium finish. Again she would stand beside her sister, but she was back in her shadow. Yatsuhashi had passed Mercury on the last lap for third. Next was Yang who had maintained fifth after a spirited battle with Sun. Pyrrha had tried to keep up, but ultimately Neptune got past her, leaving her outside the points paying positions.

Weiss was excited to stand on the podium and thrilled that she had beaten Yang, even if it had not been a fair fight. Her excitement was tempered though. Her sister had prevailed after all. When Winter was handed a bottle of champagne, she imitated what Yang had done at the 24 Hours and sprayed all those on the podium and the fans below. Weiss had lost this day, but she was getting close.

* * *

"Great race Weiss." Yang said when Weiss returned from the podium.

"Thanks." Weiss said. "It's about time I got to show my potential."

"Don't get used to being ahead of me." Yang said. "The next race is at my home track and I'll have the same equipment you will. It's my turn."

"It's going to feel so good when I beat you on your home turf." Weiss said.

"Alright ladies, calm down." Ozpin said, stepping between them. "There's no need for bickering. We should be celebrating. This is the best result this team has had in a long time and it's thanks to all of you."

"If we're being honest, it was mostly Blake." Ruby said. "Without her upgrades we wouldn't have had a shot."

"Nonsense." Ozpin said. "Your chassis kept us in the race and provided an advantage in the corners. Without that Blake's engine upgrades would have been meaningless. And both of our drivers put in outstanding performances. It was a team effort in the truest sense."

* * *

Standings after three races:

1st - Winter Schnee - 18

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 13

3rd - Penny Polendina - 12

4th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 7

5th - Weiss Schnee - 6

5th - Coco Adel - 6

7th - Yang Xiao-Long - 5

8th - Mercury Black - 3

9th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

10th - Sun Wukong - 2

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The circuit for the Vytal Grand Prix is based on the Le Mans endurance circuit.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The 1966 French Grand Prix was held at Reims. The French Grand Prix was never held on the Le Mans endurance circuit. In 1967 it was held at Le Mans on the shorter Bugatti Circuit. I chose to use the endurance circuit because I am very familiar with it and so I did not have to explain another track.

\- Major in-season engine development and consequent power increases are rare. In the 60's it was almost unheard of to make major engine upgrades, though it did happen on rare occasions.


	9. Patch GP

Chapter 9

 _One Month Ago_

Another lonely night, another morning when it was not worth getting out of bed. Taiyang forced himself to get up. What day was it? Monday? That sounded right. They all ran together, unending and yet gone in an instant. He walked through the living room, passing pictures of his family that he could no longer bear to look upon. He wondered why he left them out when they caused him so much pain. Part of him probably wanted the pain. At least when it hurt he felt something.

He opened the front door, squinting against the morning sun. He could see that the mailbox at the end of the drive was empty. It usually was. The letters had stopped coming years ago and all he ever got was the occasional bill. He looked down and spotted something unusual. A newspaper sat neatly on the ground just outside the door. It was unusual because he did not have a subscription. He picked it up without looking and held it to his nose. It smelled of alcohol so Qrow had probably left it for him.

So this was what it had come to. Qrow, his best friend, would not even face him anymore. Taiyang knew it was his own fault. Their last conversation had ended very badly and there was no one to blame but himself. Whether Qrow was right or wrong was irrelevant, as a friend he deserved to be treated better. With a heavy sigh Taiyang stepped back inside, letting the door swing shut behind him.

Taiyang sat on the couch. One look at the newspaper made him sick. _Local Driver Wins 24 Hours of Vytal_. He knew there was only one person the headline could possibly refer to. He did not want to but he forced himself to read on. His daughter had won one of the world's most prestigious races and he had not even known she would be in it. Ruby had been on the team too. Qrow had designed the car. It was a big family victory and here was Taiyang, alone. It was a special hell, and he knew he deserved it.

* * *

 _Present Day_

"Welcome to Grand Patch." Yang said.

"It's an...interesting track." Weiss said. The twisting and undulating circuit was certainly unique. Like most of the other drivers she had never raced there before. It had only hosted the Patch Grand Prix once before and had not been part of the International F2 Championship until this season.

"It's pretty challenging but I think it'll play to our strengths." Yang continued. "Power isn't as important as it is at most tracks and the forecast calls for rain on race day."

"I can't say I'm thrilled about the rain." Weiss admitted. Yang's wet weather driving was masterful but Weiss was more in line with the other drivers. The homefield advantage also played in Yang's favor, she knew every puddle and rivulet that would form when the rain started falling.

"Ruby's chassis is tailored to this place too." Yang added. "I think we'll both be very competitive."

"I made some upgrades just for this race too." Ruby said.

"My improved engines are ready." Blake said. "I was even able to learn a bit from Weiss' run in Vytal."

If practice times were anything to go by, Beacon GP would indeed be competitive. Winter still topped the charts but the track apparently did not agree with Penny. Yang and Pyrrha were consistently faster and Weiss was right there too. Coffee Inc. and Phase Two had relied on engine power and experience to put themselves near the front of the field, but both advantages were negated and they fell into the chaos that was the midfield. Still, no one could say anything for sure until time trials.

* * *

Qualifying day was unseasonably warm and sunny. At this time of year, Patch was usually cloudy, cool and wet. Patch was like that for most of the year actually. It could be a bleak and miserable place. The good weather, combined with the potential of a local driver winning the pole, brought out a huge crowd time trials. What would normally be a sparsely attended session was standing room only. When it came to motorsports, the people of Patch had had precious little to get excited about in the previous decade. Not since Taiyang Xiao-Long was a dominant force in F1 had they had a driver of their own to cheer for. Yang was determined not to disappoint and she felt the pressure. All her friends would be in attendance, Ruby's too. If only her father had been among them.

In the closing minutes of time trials Winter and Pyrrha held the top two positions. Yang was third, followed by Penny and Weiss. For Schnee Automotive there would be no waiting in the garage this time. All five went out for one last run. Yang managed to position herself to run last. Yang slowed on the straight before the final turn to ensure she would not be impeded by the cars ahead. Once she was sure she had enough room, she accelerated, whipping the car around the track's final turn, Rose Curve. It was named for Ruby's mother. She was not a Patch native but her intimate connection to Taiyang meant she may as well have been. Just about every part of the track was named for a heavy-hitter from Taiyang's generation.

Yang roared onto the start/finish straight which was not actually straight but a lazy right-hand curve. She crossed the line to start her lap and was soon on the brakes as her car crested the hill into the off-camber first turn, named Garage Hill. The car oversteered but Yang knew it would. As soon as it regained grip she floored it and shot back uphill into the hairpin. The topography meant the right-hand hairpin, named the Huntsman Hairpin, was banked in the drivers' favor. Her wheels briefly broke traction as she accelerated out of the corner, heading back downhill. The third turn, a left-hander at the base of the hill called Ironwood Curve, after former driver and current team manager James Ironwood, was tight and slow. Yang slung her car through the difficult turn, sliding the tires onto the kerb on the outside of the exit.

After that it was a short blast down a straight and into the tight uphill left-hander called Port Bend after retired driver turned commentator Peter Port. Next was the track's longest straightaway, Xiao-Long Straight. Yang flew uphill then down before the track climbed back up into Xiao-Long Bend. She barely had to slow for the sweeping right-hander. After a short straight she was hard on the brakes again the series of downhill right-hand turns called the Nevermore Complex. Her car got light as it crested the hill through the third of the three turns but thanks to Ruby's setup it settled immediately and allowed Yang to get a good run into the banked left-hander called Ozpin Corner. Yang mashed the gas on exit and the tires bit, sending her rocketing down the track's second longest straightaway, Rose Straight. Yang braked hard on entry to the final corner, Rose Curve, a sweeping and unwinding right-hander. The tires screamed as she pushed them to the very edge of grip, getting a good launch onto the start/finish straight. She flashed across the line to complete her lap, confident that it had been a fast one.

It had been fast, very fast, but not fast enough. Yang had eclipsed Winter's earlier time by over a second but Winter had gained significantly on her final run as well. Yang ended up second and Winter had her third pole in succession. It had come down to a tenth of a second but Winter had just held on. Next was Pyrrha, but she was quite a bit slower than the top two. After another large gap was Penny, then Weiss. Sixth was Coco followed by Emerald, Sun, Neptune, and Mercury. Jaune qualified a career best thirteenth. Apparently Pyrrha's coaching and the team's upgrades were paying off for him.

As thrilling as it was for Yang to qualify on the front row, she knew it would be meaningless if she could not back it up in the race. She was not worried though. She knew she could win, and if it rained as forecast, she was confident she would. The local fans already had a lot to cheer about and Yang was intent on giving them even more.

* * *

As forecast, race day was wet. The rain was not torrential, but it had started overnight, continued right through the morning and was still falling when the cars were rolled out. The track was incredibly slick with big puddles of standing water and numerous places where water ran across the track in rivulets. Hit one wrong and it could end a driver's race, or worse. Yang's intimate knowledge of the circuit would certainly come into play, but it was not as big an advantage as it might have been. Winter had raced at Grand Patch before and had run a few practice sessions in the rain. She did not have Yang's intuitive feel for the track and was not quite as good in the wet, but she was not out of her depth either.

The cars rolled around the track for their parade lap and lined up on the grid. The cheers of the capacity crowd were clearly audible over the roar of the engines as the starter raised the flag. The flag dropped and the drivers were off, spinning tires and sliding around as they headed toward the first turn. Almost immediately the spray was blinding for trailing cars. At the front it was not so bad. Yang got a perfect start and jumped into the lead, Winter tucking behind her as they swept downhill through the first corner. Pyrrha, Penny, Weiss and Coco followed in the order in which they had started. Then, chaos. Neptune ran into the back of Emerald, then spun into the side of Mercury's car. The track was more or less blocked. Cars behind them piled in, both from Maiden Racing, WFR and Team Funky, Yatsuhashi and Cardinal's Sky Lark ended up wrecked on the side of the track. The only drivers who slipped through were Sun, Cardin and Jaune. The last two both spun avoiding the crash but managed to get their cars back on track. By turn two the field had been more than cut in half. Somehow all the drivers walked away from the tangle of metal uninjured.

When the leaders came around to start their second lap, yellow flags waved, warning them of the debris that littered the track and the wrecked cars now just off to the sides. The race might have been red flagged but with the track mostly clear and the involved drivers safely away from the scene, it was good enough. Yang spent the early laps extending her lead. Winter fell back and Pyrrha passed her on the entry to the Huntsman Hairpin on lap four. Winter continued to lose time to the lead pair but behind her Penny and Weiss were even slower. Coco and Sun were well off the leaders' pace as well, and Cardin and Jaune were crawling.

As the laps ticked by Yang's large lead over Pyrrha stabilized. By lap 30 of the 80 lap distance, the pair had lapped Coco, Sun, Cardin and Jaune. The real action was for fourth with Penny and Weiss having a spirited battle. Penny as usual was extremely consistent but not particularly fast. Weiss would turn in a fast lap, get right up to Penny, then falter. On lap 33 Weiss was having a fast lap. She closed on Penny into Port Bend and got a good run off the corner. The cars roared down Xiao-Long Straight side-by-side, splashing through a huge puddle at the bottom of the hill that unsettled both cars. The pair regained control and as they ran through Xiao-Long Bend Weiss nosed ahead and Penny relinquished the spot.

At the halfway mark the conditions began to change. The rain slowed from a steady downpour to a drizzle, then stopped entirely by lap 50. The track began to dry and the complexion of the race began to change drastically. Winter, who was half a lap behind in third was suddenly the fastest on track. Yang was still quick in the lead but Pyrrha fell back. Penny effortlessly repassed Weiss on entry to turn 1 on lap 57 and pulled away. It was turning into a repeat of the 24 Hours of Vytal, Yang with a big lead and Winter charging.

On lap 66 Winter caught up to Pyrrha. It was still a long way to the leader and Winter needed to make the pass quickly. Pyrrha pulled away through Garage Hill and the Huntsman Hairpin. Sliding through Ironwood Curve, Winter lost more ground but made it up on the straight into Port Bend. As the pair screamed down Xiao-Long Straight, Pyrrha blocked right and Winter cut left, driving around the outside as they rounded Xiao-Long Bend. The track was still damp on the outside line and Winter got very sideways but held the car and took the spot. Pyrrha was not overawed by the daring move and promptly attempted to repass Winter in the first corner of the Nevermore Complex. The pass might have worked except for the huge puddle at the corner's apex. Winter went around the pool of standing water but Pyrrha was forced to go right through it. The resulting loss of grip and speed allowed Winter to pull away and continue her charge to the front.

Yang's tires were in bad shape but pitting was not an option. Stopping for a tire change would take far too long. Her overheated and badly worn rain tires provided little grip on the now mostly dry track and every lap it got worse. Winter was dealing with the same problem but still pushing hard. She consistently clawed into Yang's lead. The pair crossed the line nose-to-tail to start the final lap.

Yang covered the inside line for turn 1 and Winter was forced to follow her, the outside not being a viable option. Winter ducked right under braking for the Huntsman Hairpin but Yang held her line and drove deeper into the corner. A little too deep. Winter got up alongside as Yang slid wide and the cars rounded the corner and dove back downhill. They charged side-by-side into Ironwood curve and Yang had the inside again. Winter braked early and attempted to cross-over but Yang got a good run and a fast exit, beating Winter into Port Bend. Winter tucked up behind Yang's car as they flew down Xiao-Long Straight. At the last moment Winter dove right to take the inside line and the cars ran through Xiao-Long Bend side-by-side. This time Winter was on the inside line, but this time it was to her disadvantage. She hydroplaned through the same puddle that had stymied Pyrrha, only narrowly avoiding Yang's car as she slid off into the grass. Winter slid the car through the wet grass and somehow managed to gain enough control to steer it back onto the track. By then, Yang was long gone.

As Yang drove down Rose Straight for the final time she looked in her mirrors to see Winter a significant distance back. She was careful not to overdrive Rose Curve and got a decent launch onto the start/finish straight. Yang crossed the line to take her first Formula 1 victory, and at her home track no less. She slowly rounded the track, waving to the exuberant fans. Even the track workers raced to the edge of the circuit, cheering her on as she passed. Winter pulled up alongside, smiled and gave a respectful nod.

Yang drove her car to the winner's circle, a place she was getting increasingly familiar with. It was an entirely different experience as compared to her F2 win or even her win in the 24 Hours of Vytal. She stood on the top step of the podium, flanked by Winter and Pyrrha. The crowd surged out of the grandstands, surrounding the podium in a sea of jubilant fans. As the national anthem of Patch was played over the loudspeakers she could not help but shed a few tears. Gazing upon the cheering crowd she felt like a conquering hero. It was a thrill unlike any she had ever experienced.

* * *

The partying went on into the evening. A few of the teams had stuck around, most notably Juniper, and joined the festivities, but it was mostly a Beacon GP affair. It was their first win in years. The fact that the winner in question was a local with a famous name only added to the excitement. Things really got rolling when Qrow, who had been in attendance, got involved. Before long there was a ton of booze, a barbeque grill and the meat to cook on it. He never quite explained where it had all come from, but a few fans went home from the track richer than when they had arrived. Even Weiss was happy to get involved. Sure, she had been comprehensively bested by her teammate, but again her father had been on the losing end.

The party started to die down when Qrow stepped out. He said something about needing more booze. By then it was late and everyone was exhausted. "I've really got to thank all of you." Yang said. "Blake, your engine is amazing. Ruby, the car is perfect. Weiss, thanks for testing out the new stuff last race. Ozpin, it wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't brought us together."

"This is truly a banner day in the history of Beacon GP Racing." Ozpin said. "I hope it's the start of a new era of success."

"You ran a really great race Yang." Weiss admitted.

"Thanks, and don't worry, I'm sure your first win's not far off." Yang said.

Qrow returned, dragging someone else along with him. "Look who I found skulking around." He said.

"Dad!?" Yang exclaimed. It was indeed Taiyang. He was in desperate need of a shave and looked to have aged a decade in the last year.

"I found him walking around the paddock talking to himself." Qrow said.

"I wanted to apologize...but I...I don't know." Taiyang said.

"It's so good to see you again." Yang said. She and Ruby rushed over to hug him and he began to cry.

"I'm so sorry." Taiyang cried. "I've been such a stubborn idiot. I was afraid of losing you, afraid to feel that pain again. But I lost you anyway."

"I'm sorry I caused you so much pain." Yang said, now crying herself.

"No, you were just doing what you love." Taiyang said. "I can't fault you for that and I never should have tried to stop you. I was being selfish. This is all my fault. I broke up our family and there's no excuse for that. I can't imagine how much you've had to suffer because of me." Taiyang spotted Ozpin standing nearby. "There's someone else I need to apologize to." He pulled himself away from Yang and Ruby and approached Ozpin. "I'm sorry for how I've treated you as well."

"There's no need to apologize." Ozpin said. "With all you went through it's entirely understandable that you wouldn't want to be reminded of the past."

"It might be understandable but it's not right." Taiyang insisted. "I'm sure what happened must have hurt you too. You must have blamed yourself. Not answering your calls, avoiding you, it must have made it feel like I blamed you too. I'm sorry I put you through that for all these years. You were so good to Summer and I, and I've been a bad friend to you. I'm sure plenty of people have said it to you before, but it wasn't your fault and I never blamed you."

"It...means a lot to hear you say that." Ozpin said. "But right now I'm just happy you'll get to celebrate this day with your daughter."

"Me too." Taiyang said. "I'm glad I got my head on straight before it was too late."

"Does this mean you'll start coming to my races?" Yang asked.

"I'm afraid not." Taiyang said. "I don't think my heart could take it. But I want you to know that I support you, no matter what you decide to do with your life. I just want us to be a family again."

Yang smiled and hugged her father once more. "We've always been a family."

* * *

Standings after four races:

1st - Winter Schnee - 24

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 17

3rd - Penny Polendina - 15

4th - Yang Xiao-Long - 14

5th - Weiss Schnee - 8

6th - Coco Adel - 7

6th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 7

8th - Mercury Black - 3

8th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

10th - Sun Wukong - 2

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Grand Patch is still based on Brands Hatch, and the Patch GP is a stand-in for the British GP. Rose Curve is Clark Curve, Garage Hill is Paddock Hill, Huntsman is Druids, Ironwood Curve is Graham Hill Bend, Port Bend is Surtees, Xiao-Long Straight is Pilgrim's Drop and Hawthorn Hill, Xiao-Long Bend is Hawthorn's Bend, The Nevermore Complex is everything between Derek Minter Straight and Sheene Curve, and Ozpin Corner is Stirling's Bend.

\- Yang's and Pyrrha's wet weather skills are based on Ayrton Senna. Pyrrha's overall skill is based on him as well. Yang falls into a similar category, a driver with incredible innate talent akin to a Sebastian Vettel or James Hunt. Winter is based on Jim Clark's talent, a driver only limited by the machine. Weiss is more of a technician, someone with less natural ability who makes up for it with intelligence, practice and dedication like Niki Lauda.

\- Like the Italians when a Ferrari wins at Monza, British fans tend to go big with their celebrations when a British driver takes the British GP. Post-race crowd control tends to be poor.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- An epic melee like the first corner wreck described here would have resulted in the race being restarted.

\- For thirty laps of no rainfall, dry weather tires would probably be necessary.


	10. GP of Menagerie

Chapter 10

 _12 Years Ago_

The Grand Prix of Menagerie was for the drivers usually one of the most anticipated of the year. It had nothing to do with the race itself. Menagerie was populated almost entirely by Faunus. They usually had precious little to celebrate, so when the Grand Prix came to town it was all wild parties and merriment. The parties surrounding this race put the others to shame. It was a time for the drivers and mechanics to really cut loose. The track was also conveniently located amongst the dunes of the island's southern shore, meaning sun and fun at the seaside within view of the circuit. This year was different. Events elsewhere had put a damper on the proceedings and no one was in the mood to party.

The Schnee Automotive team were conspicuous in their absence, but that was entirely understandable given the circumstances. They and the Faunus had never seen eye-to-eye. Their factories were staffed almost entirely by Faunus and rumor had it that the working conditions were atrocious, bordering on slavery and torture. Normally when they came to Menagerie, that resulted in a lot of booing and obscene gestures. Occasionally there would be a protest. It never took away from the fun though.

Then just a month earlier, back in Atlas, something more extreme had taken place. A Faunus employee of Schnee Automotive had attacked the Schnee family with a machete. Before he could be stopped he grievously wounded the family matriarch, a mother of two and the husband of the company president. Now she lay in a coma, the prospects for her ever waking up slim. When captured the assailant had claimed to act in the name of all Faunus, avenging those mistreated by the family over the years. There had been occasional violence directed against the company, usually in the form of sabotage, but this was the first time blood had been shed.

Schnee Automotive had immediately withdrawn from the Grand Prix of Menagerie, citing the safety of team personnel. No one really blamed them. The people of Menagerie knew the whole incident was bad for them as well. The Faunus were an oppressed minority, no one would honestly dispute it, but violence like this was only likely to make their lot worse. There were already calls within Atlas for an invasion of Menagerie. Suddenly the Grand Prix was less an occasion to celebrate than a reminder of the looming storm clouds. Even so, the show had to go on.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The Grand Prix of Menagerie had regained its reputation for off-the-track fun. The events that had taken place just over a decade earlier were not forgotten however. The Schnee Automotive team came to the track with an armed guard staffed by an elite unit from the Atlesian military. Weiss too was accompanied by guards, though she was opposed to the idea. She wanted to do everything in her power to distance herself from her family and being surrounded by soldiers in their pay was a constant reminder of who she was. More soldiers, from Mistral to make it acceptable to the local authorities, were in charge of overall security at the track. It had been this way since the incident.

"Don't you think this is a little insane?" Blake asked.

"Yes." Weiss replied. "But I suppose it's necessary. You can't trust them after all."

"Who's them?" Blake said. "The Faunus? Do you have any idea just how racist you sound?"

"I speak from experience." Weiss said. "If you'd been...I don't want to talk about it. I hate coming here."

"I'm not really a fan of this place, but for an entirely different reason." Yang said. "I think the Schnee team is going to run away with this one. This is just another power track."

"We should be best of the rest though." Ruby said. "I don't think anyone else can compete with us right now. If we get some luck we could have a shot at winning."

"One of you should be able to get on the podium at least." Blake said.

The green flag was unfurled and the first practice session was underway. Weiss was already sitting in her car and ready. Being on track and driving would be a welcome distraction and she intended to spend every possible moment doing just that. She and Winter were the first cars on track, to the surprise of no one really. From the fans there was no booing, just an oppressive silence. No one was quite sure if it signaled respect, contempt or outright fear.

* * *

The practice sessions were incredibly predictable. Winter lead from Penny, and then came the rest. There was a difference however. Yang and Weiss were both very close. The sizable gap that had separated the Schnee cars from everyone else seemed to be gone. Coffee Inc. and Phase Two took up their usual spots fighting with each other, exchanging positions 5-8 between them. Sun and Neptune came next, a decent distance back. After that was Pyrrha, the track and her car did not agree with each other. WFR was a locally based team staffed entirely by Faunus. They were faster than they had been all year, much to the crowd's enjoyment. Jaune slotted in just behind them despite a few off-track excursions.

Practice times could be deceiving, so time trials would really show what the various teams had. As the end of the session neared the Schnee pair led in their usual order with Yang and Weiss further than expected behind in third and fourth. As things shook out in the waning moments, Weiss would be the last to run.

Weiss whipped her car through the fast final corner named Forest and onto the West Straight, the start/finish straight. She tore across the line to start her lap. Heading slightly downhill she was hard on the brakes on entry to the tight, banked right-hand hairpin that was the first turn, Wildman. She accelerated out, controlling the wheelspin, and headed for the next corner, Faunus. The braking zone went through a slight left on entry to the tight right-hander that crested a hill. Weiss' car got light and slid as it rounded Faunus but she controlled it and shot down into the left-hand hairpin, Founder's Corner. After that initial complex of tight corners, the rest of the track was fast and flowing.

Weiss blasted out of the hairpin, over a crest and out into the dunes. The track lazily meandered right, left and right again, before Weiss had to slow for the hard right-hander called Disconnect. She slid through the corner and got a good launch into the stretch called Dog-Leg for the flat-out left-hand kink at its halfway point. After that Weiss careened through the flat-out series of three right-handers called the East Tunnel. After a flat-out left she had to slow slightly for the right-hand Forest. Her tires screamed as she pushed them to the edge of traction and the edge of the pavement on the exit of the corner, blasting onto the West Straight and across the line to complete her lap.

Weiss had felt good about her lap but she was to be disappointed. Winter and Penny held onto the top two spots but the news got worse. Both Phase Two cars had gotten ahead of Yang and Weiss on their final runs, putting Mercury and Emerald third and fourth. Then came Yang who just edged out Weiss for fifth. After that was Coco, Yatsuhashi, Neptune, Sun and Pyrrha. It was a disheartening result for Beacon GP. It looked like they had gone from fighting for the win to struggling just to get a podium finish.

* * *

Race day was sunny, not a cloud in the sky. A cool sea breeze made for moderate temperatures, and the good weather guaranteed a huge crowd. The fans were not thrilled to see Winter starting on pole, again, but the locals did have something to cheer about. Local all-Faunus team WFR had its best qualifying results of the year, twelfth and thirteenth. Faunus Sun Wukong was starting a strong ninth and could score points with a little luck.

After their parade lap the cars rolled onto the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and the drivers revved their engines. The flag dropped, much more quickly than usual, and they were off. The cars roared down into the first turn and the chaos from the previous race was repeated. Penny slowed on the inside line to allow Winter to pull in front of her and take the preferred line through the corner. Emerald was caught out and plowed into the back of Penny's car. Penny's vehicle spun up the track and collected Mercury, all three wrecked cars sliding off the track.

Yang jumped into second and Weiss to third as they drove past the carnage. The rest of the field made it through clean. The big side-effect of the crash was that Winter now had a huge lead. Yang and Weiss were in hot pursuit but unable to make any headway over that opening lap. By the end of the first lap Yatsuhashi had managed to get in front of Coco, with Neptune, Sun and Pyrrha running behind them in the order in which they had started the race.

The top three continued to pull away, and two Schnees headed for a podium seemed to take the life out of the crowd. Matters were not helped when WFR's Tukson retired from the race with engine trouble. There was a little for them to cheer about as Sun came to life, passing his teammate and mixing it up with the Coffee Inc. pair. Pyrrha hung on further back, her car not up to the task.

The wind picked up as the race neared the halfway point, blowing sand onto the track in some places, creating slippery conditions. The trio at the front handled it well and continued to pull away, Winter maintaining a lead of several seconds over Yang who had put a little distance on Weiss. Yatsuhashi and Coco struggled with the changing conditions but Sun did not. In a daring move he dove to the right of Coco on entry to Wildman, left his braking as late as possible and got alongside Yatsuhashi by the time they reached the corner. He beat the veteran on exit and pulled away to the thunderous cheering of the crowd.

On lap 62 Winter still had a big lead. She tore through the Dog-Leg. In front of her was a slow car. It was Adam Taurus of WFR whose engine was missing. With only a split-second to react she moved to the left, just enough to clear the slow car on entry to the East Tunnel. Just before she was past, Adam's car edged left, his left front wheel meeting Winter's right rear. Winter's car was pitched into a high-speed tumble, rolling end over end before coming to rest in the sand just off the track.

Yang saw it all just as she rounded the Dog-Leg. She could see Winter flopping around in the cockpit, the wheels flying off in different directions, and alarmingly a spray of liquid that could only have come from a ruptured fuel tank. On the other side of the track, Adam had come to a stop, leapt from his car and headed away from Winter. He was not going to help. As Yang closed in on where Winter's car sat she could see that the driver was not moving. There were no track workers nearby. She had a decision to make.

Yang slammed on the brakes, pulling her car off the side of the track just past where Winter's had come to rest. Yang jumped out of her car and rushed to Winter. She could smell fuel before she saw it pouring from one of the side fuel tanks. There was luckily no fire yet, but there certainly would be in a few seconds. Winter was slumped over to the left, her left arm hanging over the side of the car with a gruesome compound fracture. Winter was groaning but unconscious.

Aside from her arm and a cut on her head caused by her helmet, Winter seemed to be mostly intact. Yang lifted her head. "Come on Winter, you have to get out." She said, gently shaking the driver.

"My arm…" Winter groaned. She made no movements to help free herself, slipping in and out of consciousness. "I was winning…"

Yang reached down into the cockpit and struggled to undo Winter's belts. The latch was a different design than Yang was used to and it took precious seconds to figure it out. She reached under Winter's shoulders. "You've got to help me." Yang said. Winter groaned and placed her right arm on Yang's back but did not really help. Then the fuel found something hot. A fireball engulfed the car and Yang staggered back away from the flames. "Shit! Winter!" She shouted and rushed back to the car. She reached under Winter's shoulders again, flames licking at both of them. There was no time to be gentle. Yang lifted with all her might and wrenched Winter out of the burning car. She dragged Winter a few meters away and laid her flat on the ground. Winter was still breathing, a very good sign all things considered.

Weiss had passed by before the fire, confused about what in the world Yang was thinking. Weiss swept into the lead and continued on. As she rounded the track and came by again she saw the flames. Winter's car was completely engulfed, both she and Yang nowhere to be seen. Weiss felt sick but kept going. There was nothing she could do now. Over the next few laps, marshals from all over the track began arriving, fighting the fire with woefully inadequate fire extinguishers. Weiss caught a glimpse of an ambulance leaving the scene. She badly wanted to stop but she kept driving.

* * *

Word of the crash spread quickly. Winter and Yang were on the way to the hospital. "Ruby, if you want I can take you to the hospital to meet them right now." Ozpin offered. "There's nothing more you can do here anyway."

"That's...I'd like that." Ruby said, panic in her voice.

Just then James Ironwood arrived at the Beacon GP garage. "Both of my cars are out so I'm going to the hospital with Penny." He said. "Do any of your people want to go with us?"

"I...I'll go with him." Ruby said. "You can stay here in case Weiss wins."

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Ozpin asked.

"I'm sure." Ruby replied.

Ruby followed Ironwood and Penny to the parking lot. Ironwood had a large, elegant sedan, specially modified so he could shift with his left hand. His prosthetic right arm was good enough for him to use for steering, and Ruby was genuinely impressed with his skill as he drove from the track to the hospital at alarming speed.

"I'm sorry to hear that your sister was hurt." Penny said.

"I'm sorry about your teammate." Ruby said.

"I am sure they'll both be alright." Penny assured her. Penny was...different to say the least. She was socially awkward but seemed oblivious to the fact for one. She also seemed far too innocent to be a racing driver. Drivers were not all serious all the time, but there was always something to their character, something you could see in their eyes, that betrayed a constant concern, maybe a fear. Racing was dangerous and any one of them could end up dead in any given race. That seemed to be missing in Penny. She seemed blissfully unaware of the danger she faced. Maybe it was a coping mechanism, every driver had one. Ruby did not think so though.

In any case, Ruby did not want to talk about the wounded. "So, how did you get your start in racing?" Ruby asked.

"I was a test driver at the Schnee Automotive factory." Penny replied. "Mr. Ironwood was very impressed with my driving and hired me to race when Weiss decided not to join the team."

"So you never raced before this year?" Ruby gasped.

"No." Penny confirmed. "I didn't even know what Formula 1 was. I was never interested in racing, but it seemed like fun. I do like to drive fast."

"That's...incredible." Ruby said in shock. Now she knew why Penny was not afraid. She did not know she should be afraid. Ruby wanted to say something, to give Penny some warning, but she did not have the heart.

Ironwood brought the car to a sudden halt in front of the hospital. "Let's go." He said as he jumped out of the car. He rushed inside, followed closely by Ruby and Penny. A nurse directed them to Winter and Yang's room.

* * *

Weiss won the race easily. Then came the shock. As she rolled around the track on her cool-down lap, the fans cheered her. Word had spread of her sister's accident and their resentment had been replaced by sympathy and admiration for her heroic effort to keep going. For Weiss it was both thrilling and disconcerting. Granted, they cheered more loudly when Sun drove by, having just finished a stunning second. Third across the line was Yatsuhashi, followed by Coco, Neptune and Pyrrha to round out the points-paying positions.

Weiss made her way to the winner's circle and took her spot atop the podium, but there was no celebrating. She hung her head, praying for her sister and her teammate as the Atlesian national anthem played. When she was handed her trophy some of the fans cheered, but most remained silent. She immediately departed, joining Ozpin and Blake to go to the hospital. After she left Sun gave the assembled crowd permission to do some celebrating, but asked that they be respectful. No one at the track yet knew Yang and Winter's conditions.

Weiss rode to the hospital in silence. She had already buried her mother and had no desire to lose her sister as well. Blake and Ozpin had both tried to encourage her but she had not really heard them, confining herself to her own thoughts.

* * *

Weiss rushed through the hospital to her sister's room. Nothing could have prepared her for what she found. Winter sat in her hospital bed sporting a big smile, Yang, Ruby and Penny laughing around her. "Oh, hey Weiss." Winter said as her sister burst in. "I'm sorry I worried you." Weiss stood there stunned. Winter did not look great. One side of her face was bandaged, her left arm was in a cast and her right arm was bandaged as well.

"Your sister was just telling us some stories about when you were kids." Yang said. Both of Yang's hands and forearms were wrapped in bandages and there appeared to be some minor burns on her face. "We're all really happy you won the race. Did you bring the champagne?"

"What were you thinking?" Weiss demanded, stomping over to Yang. "You had that race won!"

That was not the reaction Yang was expecting. "Well, it was either that or let your sister die." Yang said. "I know you two don't always see eye-to-eye but I thought you'd be happy."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you saved her." Weiss said. "But that was your race. No one pulls over like that. Even the backmarkers didn't stop to help."

"I know firsthand what it's like to lose someone I care about at the track." Yang said. "I don't ever want anyone else to have to go through that."

"Yang, you made the wrong choice." Winter said. "Weiss is right. You should have gone on and won the race. I know the risks, and I'm resigned to whatever fate is in store for me. That said, you'll be glad you stopped. I once had a similar choice to make, and I made the other one. I won the championship, but I've never stopped regretting it."

"Winter...I…" Yang started.

"I'm sorry, I hope I didn't cost you a shot at the title." Winter said.

"Well, I'm glad you helped her I guess." Weiss said. "Not like that Faunus scumbag. He took you out then just walked away to let you burn. Honestly, does their depravity know no bounds?"

"Maybe you shouldn't…" Penny started.

"I hate it here." Weiss continued. "I can't stand being surrounded by them. They're monsters."

"You should watch what you say." Blake growled.

"Why?" Weiss asked. "Are you too much of a bleeding heart to handle the truth?"

"No, because of who works on your car!" Blake shouted. She pulled off her hat to reveal a pair of extraneous cat ears. "Yeah, that's right."

"Blake...I had no idea." Weiss gasped. No wonder she never removed her hat. Weiss had thought it just a quirk.

"Blake?" Winter said. "As in Blake Belladonna?"

"The same." Blake said, still seething.

"You worked in our R&D Department." Winter said. "I remember you. I recommended you be promoted."

"And your father categorically refused to promote a Faunus." Blake said. "I see at least one apple hasn't fallen very far from the tree." Blake stormed out.

"Weiss, what the hell?!" Yang demanded. "I thought you were finally turning into a decent person. How can you be so bigoted?"

"They killed my mother." Weiss said, suddenly on the defensive.

"That's no excuse for blind hatred." Winter said. "I thought that's why you didn't sign with Schnee. Because you didn't want to be like father."

"It is...I just...I…" Weiss had no answer. "I'm sorry but with what happened to you…"

"If you're sorry, I'm not the one you need to apologize to." Winter said. "Go apologize to Blake if you're really sorry."

Weiss walked out. She went to look for Blake but she had already taken a taxi to the airport. If Weiss was going to apologize it would have to wait for the next race. Until then she returned to her sister's room. "Blake already left." She said. "She probably wouldn't want to hear it anyway."

"Then apologize the next time you see her." Ozpin said. "I'll try to calm her down in the meantime."

"Blake was always very nice to me." Penny said. "I tested out a lot of her designs. She's very talented."

"I feel like this is partially my fault." Winter said. "Without my accident, I doubt the argument would have occurred."

"How could it be your fault?" Yang asked. "The crash wasn't even your fault. Weiss just needs to get some things sorted out."

"I feel terrible." Weiss said.

"You should." Ruby said. "But that's a good start. Please don't do it again."

* * *

Standings after five races:

1st - Winter Schnee - 24

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 18

3rd - Weiss Schnee - 17

4th - Penny Polendina - 15

5th - Yang Xiao-Long - 14

6th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 11

7th - Coco Adel - 10

8th - Sun Wukong - 8

9th - Mercury Black - 3

9th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

11th - Neptune Vasilias - 2

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Politics and motorsports often mix, and it's rarely good.

\- Menagerie is based on Zandvoort.

\- Winter's accident is based on the fatal crash of Roger Williamson (Zandvoort, 1973) with a much happier ending of course. It's a story of true heroism on the part of David Purley who pulled over in an unsuccessful attempt to save his friend, and also one of the most tragic things I've ever seen.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Thankfully no real-life F1 team has ever needed armed guards at a race. Outside the track is another story, but it's not worth getting into.

\- Again, a major first corner crash would likely result in a red flag and restart.

\- A front-runner would never, ever pull over to help. A backmarker might, and even then it would be unlikely.


	11. Hell

Chapter 11

 _11 Years Ago_

"I hate this track." Glynda complained.

"I love it!" Port enthused. "There is no truer test of bravery and manly virtue!"

Glynda rolled her eyes. She knew Port hated the Emerald Forest too. All the drivers did. His bravado was how he coped with fear. The North Circuit was over 22 km long and had over 170 turns, though the number varied depending upon who was counting. Running through a mountainous forest, the track featured incredible speed and sudden elevation changes. What it did not feature was any sort of safety measures. Most of the track did not even have barriers to separate the racers from the trees. Add to that a few spots where cars would routinely get airborne and it was a recipe for disaster. Disaster was common, but the drivers always kept coming back. They had a simple nickname for the track: Hell. It was appropriate. Driving there was a living hell, and if you screwed up, well, that's where you'd find yourself.

"Ozpin, what's this team meaning about?" Glynda asked. With Summer's death and Taiyang's sudden retirement, Glynda and Port had taken over for Beacon GP. They were drivers at opposite ends of their careers. Glynda was youngish, a promising up-and-coming driver. Port was old and had come out of retirement for the year as a favor to Ozpin. Glynda comprehensively outran Port but was frustrated. The year before the team had been world-beating, winning the title in a rout, this year they struggled for points. It was hardly surprising; after what had happened no one's heart was really in it.

"Qrow requested a chance to speak to everyone." Ozpin replied.

"And he's late." Glynda sighed.

As if on queue Qrow stumbled in. His hair was messy, he needed a shave and he reeked of alcohol. "Sorry I'm late." He slurred. "I lost track of time."

"Damnit, he's drunk, again." Glynda complained. "He's always drunk!"

"I've been drunker." Qrow said. "Today…" He laughed.

"So what do you need to tell us?" Ozpin asked.

"Well, first I wanted to thank all you guys." Qrow said. "It's been a tough year but you've all been good to me, like the family I never had. I know you haven't been thrilled about my new hobby, but it gets me through the day and I appreciate you putting up with it." He suddenly took on a serious tone. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I won't be back next year. I guess you could say I'm retiring. Working on race cars just isn't fun anymore. I know I can't put enough effort into it, and hanging around would be a disservice to the rest of you."

"I had a feeling that was the case." Ozpin said. "With everything's that's happened I don't blame you. And I certainly appreciate your staying on for this year. I know it must have been very difficult for you."

"Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any to announce my retirement as well." Port said. "It's been a thrilling year but it's shown me I don't have it anymore. Ozpin, I appreciate you having me back for one last ride and I'm sorry I couldn't be a little faster." He turned to Qrow. "So, since we'll both be retired, how about we go hunting sometime?"

"I think I'll pass." Qrow said. "Giving a gun to someone as drunk as me is probably a bad idea."

"Who said anything about a gun?" Port asked. "I hunt with my bare hands!"

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to pass." Qrow said.

"So, what are you going to do then Qrow?" Ozpin asked.

Qrow turned serious again. "Most of you probably haven't spoken to Taiyang." He said. "As you might imagine he's not doing too well and his kids have it rough too. I was planning to help them out."

* * *

 _Present Day_

The Emerald Forest's North Circuit would be the site of the Emerald Forest Grand Prix once again. Little about the track had changed in the last generation and the drivers feared it just as much as they always did. In recent years, there had been extra incentive to not bother showing up. Winter had won the race three years in a row and it had not been close. But this year, Winter would not be in the field. Her burns were mostly superficial and she was feeling fine after her concussion, but her broken arm would take time to heal. Barring a miracle her season was over. It was game on for the other drivers now that the championship favorite was out of the picture.

Winter's car would not be empty. Schnee Automotive promoted Ciel Soleil from its sports car program to fill the seat for the remainder of the season. She had prior Formula 1 experience. The previous year Penny's predecessor had been killed in a crash and Ciel had finished out the season. She was an excellent sports car driver, but in a Formula 1 car she was mediocre. The team's strength would likely propel her to the front of the field but she was unlikely to really challenge for the win.

Weiss now had a good shot at the championship. If she could gain one point over Pyrrha she would become the defacto leader with her sister out. She had bigger worries though. She needed to patch things up with Blake, if only for team cohesion. She had so recently gotten to the point where she was getting along with everyone in the organization, but now she had no friends left.

"Blake, do you have a minute?" Weiss asked.

"If you're worried about me sabotaging your car, it won't be a problem." Blake said, not looking up from the engine she was working on. "I already told Ozpin, I'm here to help the team win, even if I have a distaste for the driver."

"I never thought for a second you'd do something to my car." Weiss said.

"Oh?" Blake said. "I thought you could never trust a Faunus."

Weiss sighed. Blake was not making apologizing easy. "I'm sorry." She said. "I was angry and I said some terrible things. I...believed some terrible things. I was wrong. I am wrong. I shouldn't hate people based solely on the circumstances of their birth. Even if it's easier to see things that way, not every Faunus is bad, the same way not every Human is good. I guess I still have a ways to go if I'm going to stop being like my father."

"You're already far better than your father." Blake said. "You spoke to me without spitting on me or bombarding me with slurs."

"Thank you." Weiss said.

"Don't think this makes things right." Blake cautioned. "Actions speak louder than words and so far all you've given me are words."

"What can I do to make it right?" Weiss asked.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out, or you won't." Blake said. "I don't really care. I don't need a friend. Now, if you'll let me get back to work…"

"Of course." Weiss said. "I'll see you at the beginning of practice." Blake did not respond and Weiss backed out of the garage awkwardly.

* * *

The weekend's practice sessions offered few surprises. Penny took over where she had left off, leading every session with incredibly consistent times that placed her a decent distance ahead of the rest of the field. Next in line was Weiss. She had apparently learned from her sister. Yang, Pyrrha and Ciel were not far behind, followed by the Coffee Inc., Phase Two and Haven Racing Team drivers. It might have been a power track but with over 170 turns, a strong chassis and driver skill still counted for a lot.

Even at a track so long and complex, qualifying position was key. The racing surface was narrow and passing was difficult. At the very beginning of qualifying Penny put down a lap that was good enough for a track record and far ahead of anything anyone else had run all weekend. In a repeat of Vytal, she returned to the garage and waited for the session to end, confident her time was unassailable. Behind her, things were more chaotic. With a few minutes left Weiss, Yang, Pyrrha, Ciel, Coco, Yatsuhashi, Mercury, Emerald and Sun were all within spitting distance of one another.

Weiss accelerated out of the sweeping, multi-apex right-hander ominously named Gallows. From there it was a long run downhill on the straight called The Peak, then back up, full speed all the way to the line. The several kilometers long straight was broken by two flat-out kinks called The Zoo. She rocketed across the start/finish line and was almost immediately on the brakes for the first turn. It started as a slightly downhill left that immediately hooked back to the right for a long banked turn called the South Curve. Weiss slid through the South Curve and onto the straight that ran parallel to the start/finish straight but in the other direction. After the short blast down the straight Weiss was on the brakes again for the North Curve, first a right-angle left-hander then after a short straight a tight, downhill left. She slid her car through the series of downhill right-handers called Hunt Creek. At the bottom of the hill she wrestled the car through a series of S-bends call the Tall Oaks. It was the most complex part of the track but things were about to get fast.

Weiss powered out of the last of the slow corners and over a small bridge. Her car got momentarily airborne before landing and climbing steeply uphill. She braked just before the crest but her car still got some serious air. She landed and immediately hit the brakes, turning hard right through the corner called Airfield, not for the fact that cars got airborne there, but because there was literally a airport just outside the track. Then it was all speed, flat-out through a series of gentle lefts. At top speed Weiss slowed for the left-hand corner called Cross. Once the car settled she braked hard for the tight right-hander that followed. Controlling her wheel-spin she powered out of the corner, heading steeply downhill into the complex of flat-out lefts called Fox Hole. After reaching the bottom of the hill the track climbed steeply. At the top, after a deceptively tight left, was a slow complex of S-bends called The Forest. Weiss crested the hill before The Forest and spotted a crumpled car against the dirt bank to the left. It was Sun and he was still in the car, not moving. Weiss had a choice to make.

Weiss slammed on the brakes and stopped her car, giving up on her qualifying lap. She ran to Sun's car. Inside he was alive and conscious but dazed. "Sun, are you alright?" She asked.

"I just got my bell rung." Sun groaned.

There did not seem to be any fuel leaking but Weiss could not be sure it was safe. "You need to get out now." She said.

"Just give me a minute." Sun said. "My whole body hurts."

"Oh no, I'm not waiting for this problem to turn into a catastrophe." Weiss said. She reached into the cockpit and unlatched Sun's belts. She put one arm under his. "You're getting out." Sun sighed and winced in pain as he lifted himself from the car with Weiss' help. Acting as a crutch, Weiss led him up the dirt back and away from the track before helping him sit down.

"Well, I don't think anything's broken." Sun said. He stretched his arms and legs. "This is going to hurt tomorrow though." He lay back, flat on the ground and undid the zipper on his overalls, exposing his upper body. It seemed that even after a crash he could not help but immediately take his shirt off. "Thanks for the help. You were the last person I was expecting. Blake did not have nice things to say about you."

"After what I said I'm sure she didn't." Weiss sighed. "Wait, why were you talking to her?"

"I thought sitting in silence would make for a lame date." Sun laughed. He grabbed his side in pain. "The joke was worth it." He groaned. Weiss was not sure what exactly he was joking about.

"Be sure to put in a good word for me the next time you talk." Weiss said. "Are you going to be alright until the marshals get here? My team's going to worry if I don't get back to the pits."

"Yeah, go on." Sun said. "Thanks again. I really appreciate it."

* * *

Yang crested the hill at the top of Fox Hole and the car oversteered. She caught it just in time to brake for The Forest. She noticed a wrecked car on the side of the track. It was Sun's. Weiss' car was stopped a few meters beyond. Weiss was already out of the car and on her way to assist. Yang was genuinely impressed. Sun did not even look like he really needed the help and Weiss had given up her time trial for him. Maybe she was not as terrible as she could seem.

Yang had little time to reflect. She wound her way through the Forest and out onto the following straight. The track ran on through two quick left-hand kinks. Yang broke for the second kink, then as soon as she was through it she was hard on the brakes again for a tight left. She slid the car through the corner then dove downhill through a tight right-hander. The track seemed to narrow, with overgrown trees on either side, as she cut hard through a flat-out left-hand kink. Hard on the brakes, she slid through the following hard right. She spun the wheels a bit on exit as she shot down the following straight. Yang's car became unsettled as she braked. She caught the car, cutting right downhill into a tight left-hander, followed immediately by another right.

Once again the track sped up. Yang tore down the straight toward the left-hand corner called Exit. It was a quick corner that led uphill. She raced up the hill, cutting hard to the right as the track topped the rise. She powered out of the corner, flew through the left-hand Mine Kink and was hard on the brakes for the tight right-hander called Mine. The following sector, a series of flat out corners called Little Valley, was one of the fastest and most challenging parts of the track. Yang held it right on the edge, using all the track as she blasted along. She slowed for the left-hand Courage Corner then was on the throttle again. She ran through a flat-out right-hand kink before braking hard for the next twisty section.

Yang spun the wheels on exit of the right-hand hairpin and roared toward one of the track's most unique features. After a short straight was the left-hand hairpin called the Carousel. The inside third of the track was steeply banked to the drivers' benefit. Yang dropped into the bowl, her car scraping the track as she rounded the corner before she popped out on the other side. After that it was steeply uphill through a series of left-handers to one of the track's highest points. After was a twisting series of corners and sudden elevation changes. Even experienced drivers struggled to memorize this portion and Yang made it up as she went along, though her improvisation proved to be very fast.

The track straightened out a bit for Jump Hill. Yang pressed the throttle to the floor, the ground fell steeply down and she was briefly airborne. She slammed down and regained control of the car just in time to negotiate the quick right-left that followed. She rocketed on, the track curving slightly to the right before she had to brake hard for a much sharper right-hander that opened the section called the Swallow's Tail. Next was a tight, blind left-hander. She pulled out of the corner and drove into the left-hand Small Carousel, a less-extreme version of the earlier corner. She got a good run off the banking and raced uphill into Gallows. The track crested a hill, going up and then down over the course of the turn. Then Yang was back on The Peak. The engine screamed, pushing the redline as she tore downhill then up, full-speed through The Zoo and across the line to complete her lap.

Weiss arrived a few minutes later. Instead of finishing her lap she returned to the garage. The time would be too slow to matter anyway. "What happened?" Ruby asked. "Did you have mechanical problems?"

"No, I stopped to help someone." Weiss replied.

"Who?" Ruby asked with concern.

"Sun, he stuffed it in the dirt bank before The Forest." Weiss explained. "He's alright, just a little shaken up."

"You stopped, threw away your lap, to help Sun, a Faunus?" Blake gasped in disbelief.

"He was just as surprised." Weiss said. "I couldn't just leave him sitting there in his car. What if it had caught fire? They'll be other races for me. He only gets one life."

"I can't help but feel like you wouldn't have done that if you weren't trying to prove you were sorry." Blake said.

"I won't lie, it factored in my decision." Weiss said. "But the core of it is that he's a person, just like you or me. I couldn't leave him to die."

"I guess that's good enough." Blake sighed. "Don't think this makes us friends though." Blake really wanted to stay mad at Weiss but Weiss was making that difficult.

"I know, I'm sure I've still got a lot to do before that." Weiss said.

"Awesome!" Ruby exclaimed. "You two don't hate each other anymore!"

"I don't think we hated each other before." Weiss said. "We just had a little disagreement." Blake glared at her. "Okay, a big disagreement. I'm happy we could get past it too. I just hope it didn't cost me too much for the race tomorrow."

"Well, the session just ended so we should be getting the final times any moment now." Ruby said.

"Do you feel like you did the right thing?" Ozpin asked, walking into the garage.

"Yes." Weiss answered without hesitation.

"Then who cares about the times?" Ozpin said. "I certainly don't."

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Emerald Forest is the Nurburgring, the North Circuit is the Nordschleife. I won't bother going through all the corners because I don't have all day, but most are just straight translations.

\- The Nordschleife is commonly referred to as the "Green Hell." I agree with this assessment.

\- Sun's accident is based on a common mistake made by many drivers at The Ring. Topping the rise out of Fuchsrohe unsettles the car and getting out of the throttle at the wrong moment will cause oversteer to the left that's pretty much impossible to recover from.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- Giving up on a qualifying lap to help someone is only just a little more likely than giving up on a race. It almost never happened.

\- The track I describe (about 3/4 of, evenything between Hohe Acht and Sprunghugel runs together in my head) is a mix of mostly the modern layout with the key features of the 1966 layout. There is simply not a good enough representation of the old track to allow me to adequately describe it, so I did my best to reconstruct it from historical descriptions.


	12. Emerald Forest GP

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the shorter than usual chapter. Life happened. And screw the Nurburgring! I promise the remaining chapters will make up for it.

* * *

Chapter 12

 _14 Years Ago_

Like every other driver, Taiyang hated the Emerald Forest North Circuit. Like every other driver he was racing on it anyway. And doing a pretty good job at that. The race was about half over and he was in the lead. In a distant second place was Summer. It had begun to rain early on and that gave Taiyang the advantage he needed to pull away. Now he just counted the laps, impatient for the race to be over.

He would not win. Taiyang turned into the Mine Kink as he had lap after lap. This time, something was different. He felt it in the car as soon as he turned the wheel. He got out of the throttle but it was too late. His right-front tire, deformed with a slow leak, blew out. He went straight and headed for the dirt bank that lined the track. The car smacked the wall of mud and stopped. With no seatbelt Taiyang was thrown from the car and into the forest beyond. As he sailed through the air he wondered how Summer and the kids would do without him. Then his world went dark.

Summer drove past just in time to catch the tail end of Taiyang's crash. She saw him sail out of view like a ragdoll, disappearing into the forest. She felt sick. It was her worst nightmare, unfolding before her eyes, and she was most definitely not dreaming. She did not stop. There was no point. Either he would survive or he would not and there was nothing she could do. At least he was not trapped in a burning car. That was not a death she would wish on her worst enemy.

Summer spent the next lap wondering what the future would hold. She had little hope that Taiyang could have survived. Money would not be a problem but raising two young girls alone would be difficult. The trauma they would go through would only make matters worse. They were not old enough to really understand yet, but they would know their father was gone. How would she explain it to them?

Summer arrived at the Mine Kink a lap later. Taiyang's crumpled car was still there. So was Taiyang. He looked a bit dazed and was covered in mud, but there he was, sitting on the bank. To Summer it seemed a miracle. He waved as she drove past, on her way to winning the race. In truth it was no miracle but dumb luck. If Taiyang had hit one of the trees the impact likely would have killed him instantly, but somehow he had missed them all. The impact with the ground might have killed him too but the rain had turned the ground to mud, softening his landing. He was not even hurt beyond a few bruises.

Things may have turned out alright but both Taiyang and Summer were shaken. Neither could imagine life without the other but the crash had forced them to confront the possibility. However dreaded, it was an eventuality they had to be prepared for. Both wished the other would quit racing but both were well aware that that was not going to happen. In the end, they were racecar drivers and would do what racecar drivers did. They would assume it could never happen to them or anyone they cared about. Death was something that happened to other drivers.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The time trial results were in and Weiss' decision to help Sun had not cost her as much as it might have. To no one's surprise, Penny kept the top spot. Yang and Pyrrha had jumped Weiss on their last run but Weiss slotted in a strong fourth. Ciel came up just short for fifth, followed by Coco, Neptune, Yatsuhashi, Emerald, Mercury and Sun. In the end, Weiss was happy with her decision and team harmony had been mostly restored.

Weiss was not all that disappointed in her starting position but she was absolutely disappointed about the race day weather. Rain started pre-dawn and continued all morning. It was still raining as the cars rolled onto the grid. The rain was never particularly hard but it was continuous and the track was soaked. Yang would not have had it any other way. She knew from experience that if anything could close the gap between the Schnee cars and her own, it was rain. She was probably the only driver happy with the weather. The North Circuit was already dangerous in dry conditions. Racing it in the wet was almost suicidal.

The cars lined up and the starter raised his flag. The rain continued to fall, the pitter-patter of the drops mixing with the roar of the engines and the cheering of the crowd. The flag dropped. There was little grip as the drivers struggled to get going, their tires spinning and cars sliding. They dove into the first corner, sweeping around behind the garages without incident. Then it was off into the forest. Yang made her move into the North Curve, diving to Penny's left as they braked for the corner and completing the pass. Just behind, Weiss had her hands full with Ciel and Coco behind her. She managed to hold on. Until the very end of the lap there would be few passing opportunities.

Yang pulled away through Hunt Creek and into Tall Oaks. Pyrrha was all over the back of Penny's car but there was no room to get past. Weiss managed to put some distance on Ciel and Coco as the two got to fighting each other. The high-speed portion of the lap began and the field began to spread out. Penny kept close to Yang, horsepower momentarily winning out, and Pyrrha fell back a bit. By the time the cars arrived at Cross, Penny was right on Yang's tail. Unfortunately for her, there were corners to negotiate. Yang immediately opened the gap again, a gap that would only grow as the lap wore on.

Yang crossed the line to complete the first lap with a huge lead. Pyrrha had managed to keep close to Penny by using the draft. Pyrrha drove up along the left side of Penny's car on entry to the first turn. She failed to complete the move before the track swung back to the right, and the cars ran side-by-side through the sweeping South Curve. They continued side-by-side down the following straight before Pyrrha finally completed the pass in the North Curve. Behind them Weiss had gotten well clear of Ciel and Coco and managed to get close enough to Penny to begin contemplating how she would get by.

By the beginning of lap four of twelve, the order had settled. The previous lap Weiss had passed Penny on entry to the South Curve, a fairly straightforward move that Penny had barely contested. Further back, Coco had passed Ciel while Sun had managed to charge all the way to eighth, just behind his teammate. Yatsuhashi, Emerald and Mercury swapped positions in the North and South Curves, but there was little to decide between them.

With the leaders long gone, the backmarkers charged toward Cross. WFR's Tukson slowed and turned into the corner. His right-front suspension collapsed and he shot off the track to the right. The wet grass did little to slow him as he skidded across it. As his car bounced across the grass, the collapsed suspension folded under the front end and popped it up in the air just before the dirt bank. The car slapped the bank with its bottom and cartwheeled into the air. It slammed into a huge, ancient tree, bending almost in half and exploded. The rain prevented the fire from spreading to the flora, but nothing could save Tukson.

None of the drivers stopped to help. There was no point. Those who had witnessed the crash knew he could not possibly have survived. Even the spectators who gathered around could only watch as the car and its driver were incinerated. A few track workers arrived but they did not even have a fire extinguisher. They too could only watch. It was a gruesome end but one that was all too common for men of Tukson's profession.

The next time around the track Yang saw a plume of smoke rising from the forest just outside Cross. She had no way to know what had happened, but from the skid marks on the track and the debris scattered around, it was clear that someone had crashed. She did not want any driver to die, but she hoped it was not someone she knew well. Weiss saw the smoke a little later as she passed the spot. She did not want any driver to die, but she hoped it was not someone she knew well. All the drivers shared one sentiment: at least it wasn't me, it could never be me.

Word filtered back to the pits. Teams set about giving their drivers the details they needed. Ruby held out a pit board for Yang. "Weiss is OK." Some time later she held out the board for Weiss. "Yang is OK." Some of the other teams showed similar signs. WFR called Adam in and he retired from the race. He did not seem particularly broken up about it. He was probably more bothered by having his race ruined than by his teammate's demise.

The race went on as it always did. Yang continued to lead, steadily pulling away from Pyrrha. The gap between Pyrrha and Weiss was rather stable. On lap nine Coco's engine expired and her race was over. A lap later Jaune slid off the track at The Forest and got stuck in the mud. Other than a few mechanical issues among the backmarkers, things were pretty straightforward.

Yang coasted across the line to win, over a minute ahead of Pyrrha. Pyrrha had pushed her car to the limit but it payed off with a second place finish. Weiss came home third to complete the podium. Penny was next, followed by Ciel, Neptune and Sun. Sun had put in a gritty drive, from a bad starting position with broken ribs, but come up just short of scoring points. Also coming up empty were Emerald, Mercury and Yatsuhashi. The trio fought all the way to the finish but it was for nought.

On the podium there was no celebration. Yang held her trophy up then lowered it and walked away, followed by the other two. Even if it had been socially acceptable, none of them were in the mood to celebrate. For many of the drivers it was the first death they had experienced, at least in Formula 1. Even so, it was such a common occurrence that there was little emotion. The drivers were numb, they had to be. A driver cannot be fast and scared, the two are mutually exclusive. They all told themselves it could never happen to them, but somewhere, deep down, they knew it was a lie.

Penny though, Penny was different. Even after Winter's accident, the danger had not quite sunk in. After all, Winter came out alright, just a broken arm and some minor burns. It was better than one could expect from most road accidents. A death hit her hard. She had never imagined it could happen. She did not know Tukson, or for that matter any of the other drivers, particularly well but it felt like losing a member of the family. After the race she cried and cried, inconsolable. She talked about wanting to quit, how it was all too much for her. In the end Ironwood convinced her to keep driving. But now Penny was a different person. Gone was the happy-go-lucky, bright-eyed little girl. She could still be that at times, but her innocence was gone. The fear had crept in and like all drivers, she would have to suppress it somehow.

* * *

There was almost a month before the next race. Most of the drivers would have preferred to have it the next day. It would be something to distract them. Not that any of the drivers were looking forward to the next race. It would be at the Forever Fall Forest Circuit. It was an infinitely simpler track than the Emerald Forest, but no less dangerous. What it lacked in complexity it made up for in sheer speed.

* * *

Standings after six races:

1st - Winter Schnee - 24

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 24

3rd - Yang Xiao-Long - 23

4th - Weiss Schnee - 21

5th - Penny Polendina - 18

6th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 11

7th - Coco Adel - 10

8th - Sun Wukong - 8

9th - Mercury Black - 3

9th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

11th - Neptune Vasilias - 3

12th - Ciel Soleil - 2

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The Mink Kink is the corner before Bergwerk where Niki Lauda had his famous accident. Taiyang's crash is based on Lauda's, though Lauda's was caused by a mechanical failure, not a tire failure. In 1976 there was still just a dirt bank as a barrier.

\- A 12 lap race might seem short but the track length made it a long enough race. The track is so long, in fact, that the F1 and F2 races were held at the same time.

\- Tukson's crash is vaguely based on the fatal crash of Gerhardt Mitter and that of Peter Collins.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- There was a fatal crash at the Nurburgring in 1966, that of John Taylor. It shared no similarities with Tukson's and occurred at Flugplatz.

\- Even in the wet, a run like Sun's would be near impossible at the Nurburgring simply because of the near impossibility of passing.


	13. Forever Fall GP

Chapter 13

 _11 Years Ago_

"There's nothing scheduled today so the track's all yours Mr. Xiao-Long." The track manager said.

"Thanks." Taiyang said. The pain of returning to Forever Fall was intense but he felt like it was something he had to do. Carrying a small bag he walked out of the office and made his way to the track. It had been a few months since Summer's accident but he could still see it in his mind as clearly as if it had just happened. He walked down the back straight, crying as he relived those fateful moments.

Taiyang walked off the corner to the armco, a shiny new stretch in place of the barrier Summer's car had obliterated. There had been more. He had seen her sailing limply through the air, but he was fairly certain that this was the spot where her life had ended. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small wooden cross emblazoned with Summer's name. He jabbed it into the ground and tapped it down with his hand. Reaching back into his back he grabbed a single rose and placed it before the cross before sitting down beside it. The track managers had discussed placing a permanent monument there, but there was always that kind of talk after a driver was killed, and rarely did anything materialize. Taiyang was compelled to ensure there was something there, however fleeting, to honor Summer's memory. After the years of joy she had given him, it was the least he could do.

Taiyang had not really been sure what he would do when he got there. A few scenarios had played in his mind but not the one that actually came to pass. He sat there thinking, about the past and the future, happy times and sad, for hours. He was surprised he was physically capable of crying for so long. All he could do was sit there, staring down at the grass. He lost all concept of time. After arriving sometime near midday, he became dimly aware that the sun was beginning to set. Had he been there that long?

Taiyang heard a car approaching. He looked up to see a beat-up family sedan rounding the turn from the direction of the start/finish straight. Was the manager he had spoken to earlier getting worried? He probably should have been worried. No, he recognized the car. Unbelievable.

The car slid to a stop right in front of him. The driver's door opened on the other side of the car and Qrow stepped out. He walked over and sat beside Taiyang. He was not stumbling and something in his eyes indicated an abnormal alertness. For once he did not smell like alcohol.

"Qrow, are you sober?" Taiyang asked.

"I wasn't about to drive over here wasted." Qrow said. "I even waited two hours after the call to make sure."

"Who called?" Taiyang asked.

"Ozpin." Qrow replied. "The manager here was getting worried about you. He said you were sitting here crying for two hours. That was four hours ago, and here you still are. Ozpin called me because he couldn't make it out but wanted someone to check on you."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." Taiyang said. "Wait, you were watching the kids. Did you leave them alone?!"

"I might be a drunk but I'm not an idiot." Qrow said. "Besides, I thought they should have the chance to pay their respects as well."

"You brought them!" Taiyang shouted. "Damnit Qrow! I would have preferred you left them alone."

"Why, planning something they shouldn't see?" Qrow pressed.

"Of course not, what would give you that idea?" Taiyang asked nervously.

"Well your gun wasn't at home." Qrow said. "Neither was your holster."

"You thought I was going to kill myself and you didn't rush over immediately?" Taiyang said.

"I was giving you a little credit." Qrow said. "Besides, it's a two hour drive so I figured it wouldn't matter much. I was not going to drive drunk with the girls in the car. I had the manager watching you anyway. He would have stepped in if you did anything rash. I'm kind of surprised you didn't notice him, he's not exactly stealthy."

Surprised, Taiyang looked up to see the manager from earlier standing across the track. Could he really have been there the whole time? "Qrow, what do you want from me?" Taiyang asked.

"A good start would be handing over the gun." Qrow replied. "Then I want you to come home to your family."

"Maybe that's not a good idea." Taiyang said. "I can't take care of them, not without Summer. I can't do anything without her. What's the point anyway?"

"The point?!" Qrow shouted. "You have two kids! They've already lost their mother. Do you want them to lose their father too? How selfish are you going to be? What kind of life do you think they'll have without you? My sister's not going to take care of them. I'd try but you know what kind of influence I'd be. They need their father."

"They need a good father." Taiyang said. "I don't think that's me."

"It has to be, you're the only one they've got." Qrow said. "And you know damn well you can do it. You're just afraid. So, are you going to take the coward's way out or man up and take responsibility?"

"I'm sorry." Taiyang said. He reached into his coat and withdrew his gun, handing it to Qrow. Qrow checked the safety before slipping it into his pocket. "And thank you."

"Don't mention it." Qrow said. "Now, what do you say we give the girls a chance to say goodbye then all go home together?"

"I guess that would be for the best." Taiyang sighed.

Qrow got up and walked to the car, opening the back door for Ruby and Yang. "Were you and dad fighting?" Ruby asked, looking a little scared.

"No, I just had to cheer him up a bit." Qrow said with a gentle smile. "You know how he gets when he thinks about your mother. He was feeling down but he should be better now." He turned to Taiyang and gave him a pointed look. Be happier or else. Taiyang got the message.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Yang and Ruby stood before the stone monument sitting just outside the final corner of the Forever Fall Forest Circuit. It was a simple rectangular stone with the image of a rose on it. Ruby had visited her mother's grave often but had not been here since she was a child. Yang stood back while Ruby spoke, talking to her mother about what was happening in her life as if she were having a normal, if one-sided, conversation. After a few minutes she stepped away. Rather than looking sad she looked happier than before. "I'm ready." She said to Yang.

Yang nodded and stepped forward. She knelt and placed her hand on the stone. "I still miss you." She said. "I hope I'm making you proud." Yang wiped away a stray tear as she stood. She gave Ruby a big hug, too tight for her liking. Yang backed up and held Ruby at arm's length. "I know she would be so proud of you. Come on then, let's get to work." Yang and Ruby started walking back toward the garage.

"Hold on a moment, please." Ozpin said. He walked up and laid a rose on the monument, just as he did every year. "For a long time now, I've wanted to apologize." He said, almost choking in the words. "What happened...it has to be at least partially my fault. It was my car. The buck stops with me. I'm sorry for all you've had to go through, as a family and individually. If I could…"

"You can't keep blaming yourself." Ruby said. "Accidents happen and it was nobody's fault."

"Racing is dangerous and she knew the risks." Yang added. "The last thing she would want anyone to do is blame themselves for it. You were very good to her and dad, and she would want you to be happy."

"I suppose she would." Ozpin said. He pushed up his glasses, hiding his eyes more than usual. "Well, I think we've all spent enough time in the past today. It's time we shifted our focus to the present."

"I agree, I have a car to prepare." Ruby said. "Well, my part might not matter much, but I'm sure Blake could use a hand with the engines."

"If you're ready, I'm ready." Yang said. She put her arm around Ruby's shoulders and they walked back to the garage.

* * *

"Are you two alright?" Weiss asked as Ruby and Yang returned. She had lost her mother too and knew the pain.

"We're fine." Yang said. "I think Ozpin is actually the one we need to be worried about."

"That's a relief." Blake said, not looking up from the engine she was working on. "You need to be totally focused on the task at hand. If you're going to be fast here, there's no room for error."

"Oh, Yang, I wanted to show you something!" Ruby cut in. Most of the body panels were still detached from the cars and Ruby knelt beside Yang's. She pointed at a series of tubes and cables.

"What am I looking at?" Yang asked.

"I installed a redundant brake system." Ruby said. "It's just for this race. It's not as strong as the main system, but if you lose that it should be enough to slow you down to a relatively safe speed."

"I'm not sure this is necessary." Yang said. "We've never had brake problems and I don't expect them to pop up here."

"I just wanted to make sure what happened to mom doesn't happen to you." Ruby said. "It's installed on Weiss' car too. I want you both to be safe."

"Thanks, but won't it be a little heavy?" Weiss asked.

"Not really." Ruby replied. "We use smaller brake discs here, and the weight we save on that is greater than what I've added. I guess I could remove it if you want."

"No, that's alright." Weiss said. "After the last race I could use some piece of mind."

Tukson was gone but the WFR team was still running, and with two cars. At Adam's insistence, his replacement had been hired almost immediately following the race. Now the second WFR car would be driven by Francois Banesaw, an F2 driver and trusted friend of Adam. The speed with which Tukson had been replaced and Adam's insistence on continuing as if nothing had happened struck many as rather unseemly. Still, it was how F1 tended to work.

Ironwood appeared just outside the Beacon GP garage. "Ms. Rose, may I borrow you for a moment?" He asked.

"Sure, just give me a second." Ruby said as she completed an adjustment. She slid out from under Weiss' car and walked up to Ironwood. "What is it?"

"I'm having some difficulty with one of my drivers...Penny." Ironwood explained. "You seem to be the only friend she has at the track, so I was hoping you could talk to her. Given the circumstances, I find it very appropriate."

"Of course I'll talk to her." Ruby said. "Where is she?"

"She's in our team's trailer." Ironwood replied. "I'll tell the crew to give you access. I hope I'm not interfering with your work."

"It's fine, I was just finishing up." Ruby said. "There really isn't much for me to do anyway. I'll head right over."

* * *

"She's right in there." Ironwood said, pointing to a closed-off room inside the trailer.

Ruby opened the door to find Penny sitting in the corner crying. "Penny, what's wrong?" Ruby asked, shocked to see her in this state. Penny was probably the happiest person she knew.

"I...I...I can't...I can't do it." Penny stammered.

"Do what?" Ruby asked.

"Drive." Penny replied. "I'm too afraid. I don't want to die like Tukson."

Ruby walked over and sat beside Penny, putting her arm around her shoulders. "That's what this is about?" Ruby said. "It's okay to be afraid and I know you're brave enough to keep driving."

"How can the others not be terrified?" Penny continued. "I never really paid attention before, but after the Emerald Forest I did some research and...there are so many...so many dead."

"Everyone's scared." Ruby said. "Yang's scared and Weiss is scared and I'm scared for them. It's totally normal."

"If they're so scared, how can they keep racing?" Penny asked.

"Every driver has a different way of dealing with it." Ruby said. "Weiss gets really focused on making sure everything's perfect before the race starts. Yang tells a lot of jokes. Once they get in their cars they're too focused on driving to think about anything else." Penny seemed unconvinced. "My mom died in a crash at this track. It was just bad luck, there was nothing anyone could have done. She knew how dangerous it was, but she loved racing. Even if she knew how it would end, I don't think that would have stopped her. Don't you love driving?"

"I do...but…" Penny started. "I don't know."

"You can't let fear get in the way of things you love." Ruby said. "Yang knows what could happen, but if she didn't race she wouldn't be happy. My father gave into his fear, but it just made him miserable and eventually he forced himself to overcome it. If you don't get past this, you'll be miserable too. It hurts me so much to see you like this. You're always happy, always smiling. I want that Penny back, and I know that won't happen unless you're doing what you love."

"Maybe you're right." Penny sighed. "Maybe I just have to do it. I don't want to die but I don't want to be sad either."

"That's the spirit!" Ruby encouraged. "Come on, I'm sure everything will be fine. Practice is starting soon. Get in that car and overcome your fear!"

Penny leapt to her feet. "I will!" She declared. "Thank you Ruby. I'm going to get out there and be happy!" She charged straight out of the trailer. Ruby could not help but think about how strange her friend could be.

* * *

Practice results were incredibly discouraging to most of the field. Penny led with Ciel second, a sizable margin ahead of anyone else. Coco, Yatsuhashi, Mercury and Emerald were fairly close to each other, swapping the next four spots. Then there was a big gap back to Yang and Weiss and another decent gap to everyone else. The track was pure speed and the best engine would almost certainly win. Even Pyrrha's incredible skill was not enough to crack the top 10. There were simply not enough turns. Blake's modifications may have added power to Beacon GP's engines, but it was not nearly enough.

Time trials showed the difference in times was not a fluke. As the clock wound down, Yang and Weiss were seventh and eighth, with Sun and Neptune not far behind. The had apparently found some speed. Pyrrha was still nowhere and the top six were the same as in practice. The only thing really to be decided would be the exact order.

Yang and Weiss went out at the same time. They hoped that by using the draft to slingshot past one another on the straights they could gain some speed. Yang ran in front as the exited the final corner, an unwinding right-hander. As they pair flashed across the line Weiss built up speed, moved right and rocketed past. She moved back to the left and Yang tucked in behind her. They slowed a little for the first turn, a nearly flat-out right sweeper. Early in the corner there was something of a run-off area but by the exit the armco was tight to the track. Yang built up momentum on exit and flashed past as they pair hooked through the slight left-hand kink just before the track's tightest corners. They ran nose-to-tail through the first, a slow but sweeping right-hander. After a short straight was the second, another right that was more abrupt and tight, but an obtuse angle that allowed for more speed. They pulled out onto another long straight, a slight left-hand kink taken flat-out in the middle. Weiss flashed past just before the next corner, a gentle left-hander. They barely slowed for the turn then accelerated hard out onto the back straight. Halfway down the straightaway Yang drove past Weiss on the right before pulling back to the left to prepare for the final corner. Both drivers braked hard and slid through the banked and unwinding right-hander, getting back on the throttle as soon as they dared. Weiss got a good run off the turn and they crossed the line side-by-side.

The Beacon GP pair had gotten closer, but not improved their position. Weiss did jump Yang for seventh. Ahead of them Penny had easily grabbed the pole with Ciel a comfortable second. Coco, Mercury, Emerald and Yatsuhashi put in almost identical times to take the next four spots. After Weiss and Yang were Sun and Neptune. Pyrrha ended up a disappointing fifteenth, Jaune last.

At least Team Juniper would have more to look forward to the following year. For the next season they had made a deal with Ozpin to combine the two teams' engine programs. There was also hope that they could work out a deal with Schnee Automotive to provide at least year-old motors that would be an improvement over anything else on the market. The prospects for that looked a bit dim as the higher-ups at Schnee recognized the pace Pyrrha and the Beacon GP drivers had, and so were reluctant to make them faster. If Penny managed to win the title though, it might just happen.

* * *

Race day was warm and dry, a tremendous disappointment to everyone save Schnee Automotive. It had been clear all weekend that only rain could derail their dominance. That morning Penny looked focused, more serious than ever before, but by race time she was all smiles. As the cars rolled around on their parade lap she was still smiling. They lined up on the grid and the starter raised his flag. After a brief wait it dropped and the cars roared off to start the Forever Fall Grand Prix.

Penny got a perfect start, as she usually did, and pulled out a decent lead over Ciel by the time the cars arrived at the first corner. Mercury jumped into third and Coco slipped in behind him as the cars dove into the turn. Further back Weiss held on ahead of Yang, and Pyrrha was up to eleventh after a blinding start. Things were already starting to spread out by the time the cars reached the back straight. Penny led with Ciel tucked in behind. Mercury, Coco, Emerald and Yatsuhashi made up a tight pack with a small gap back to Weiss and Yang. Then there was another small gap back to Sun and Neptune. Pyrrha tried but she soon fell back. When the cars reached turn 1 for the second time she had already fallen to thirteenth.

From there things spread out. Penny and Ciel pulled away, Ciel not daring to even attempt a pass. Coffee Inc. and Phase Two traded positions on just about every straight, completely unable to get away from each other. Weiss and Yang swapped spots as did Sun and Neptune, going back and forth as the draft carried them along. Behind them it was chaos. A four car breakaway fought tooth and nail. Then came Pyrrha, alone on track, her lead over the next five fluctuating wildly from lap to lap. Jaune was in a fight at the back, shuffling positions with the other slowest four cars.

Some good news for the field came on lap 23. Yatsuhashi's engine went up in smoke, proving that at least the previous year's Schnee design was vulnerable. Attrition began to take its toll. Sun's engine failed two laps later, shaking itself to pieces when a loose part caused it to become unbalanced. Cardin and Sky lost engines within a lap of each other and Adam dropped out of the race when his transmission failed.

By lap 47, little had changed as far as the order. At the back Jaune was still fighting with some slower cars. He headed into the final corner but at the last second Amber Autumn of Maiden Racing dove to his right. She was going too fast to make the corner. She barely clipped the right-front of Jaune's car with her left-rear. Her car was pitched into a spin, brakes locked, and skidded off the track. In the grass the damaged left-rear suspension caught and flipped the car just before it slammed into the armco barrier top-first. Jaune's car spun off the track at a lower rate of speed and smacked into the guardrail beside her, pancaking the left side.

It was a hard hit for Jaune, leaving him a bit dizzy. Still, he was aware of the danger of fire and climbed out as quickly as possible. Amber's car lay on its side, almost upside-down a little further along, and judging by the angle she would not be able to get out without assistance. Knowing her car could catch fire just as easily as his, he hurried over and vainly tried to push it back onto its wheels. He was not strong enough to do it alone, but at least there did not appear to be any fuel leaking. He ducked down to the cockpit to check on the driver. "Amber, are you alright?" He asked. There was no response. He ducked in closer. "Amber?" Her eyes were open, darting about in terror. It looked as though she was desperately trying to speak. Jaune stood up. A group of marshals was rushing over, along with some nearby fans. "She's hurt! We need help!"

The combined effort of the track workers and Jaune managed to turn the car over onto its wheels. Amber was unconscious by the time she was lifted from the car and transferred to a waiting ambulance. Jaune decided not to go. Amber was clearly in bad shape and he did not want to be in the way. Besides, he did not think he was that badly hurt, maybe a broken collar bone. He could wait. When the track was clear he ran across and made his way to the garage area.

With yellow flags waving for almost a dozen laps, passing was banned at the final corner. The other drivers continued around, not paying much attention. There were plenty of places to pass and this accident did not have the fiery horror of Tukson's.

On lap 66, just two from the finish, Emerald's car ground to a halt, its engine having failed. Suddenly the Beacon GP drivers were both in points-paying positions. Yang was ahead as the pair started the final lap. Weiss got a good run down the main straight but did not pass, instead just tucking in behind Yang. Yang knew what Weiss was planning. They rounded the track, Weiss remaining just behind Yang. Weiss held back as they blasted out of the corner that led onto the back straight. Using the draft Weiss got a very good run and moved right. Yang matched to block and Weiss jumped to the left. Yang could not block or they would crash and Weiss completed the pass. Yang made one last attempt to take the spot on entry to the final corner but came up short. Yang got alongside as they crossed the line but Weiss had clearly taken the position.

In front Penny had won easily. Ciel never even attempted to pass. She knew her place. She was only there to help Penny win the championship. Third was Coco followed by Mercury. Sun and Neptune were seventh and eighth, just outside the points, and Pyrrha was a disappointing thirteenth. Some of the drivers were a bit concerned about Amber, but there was no news on her condition so celebrations went on as normal.

There had probably never been anyone happier to win a grand prix than Penny. She stood on the podium sporting a big smile, waving to the fans below. She seemed fit to burst. Ciel was happy to finish second and almost managed a smile. Penny hugged her and Coco repeatedly, unable to contain her joy. When Ironwood arrived as a representative of the team Penny hugged him too. Her childlike happiness was infectious and even the usually stern Ironwood could not help but smile and laugh.

After the ceremony Ironwood made his way to Beacon GP's garage, still carrying his trophy. Inside the crew was packing up while Weiss and Yang debriefed with Ruby and Blake. "Ms. Rose, can I speak to you?" Ironwood asked.

"Sure." Ruby said. "Go ahead."

"I have to thank you for talking to Penny." Ironwood said. "I don't know what you said, but she's back to her old self. She never would have won without you."

"Don't mention it." Ruby said. "I was just helping a friend."

"Be that as it may, you should be rewarded." Ironwood said. "It's not much, but have this." He handed Ruby his trophy. Ruby took it looking stunned. "Your parents were good friends of mine, good people. It warms my heart to see you take after them."

"Hello James." Ozpin said, just arriving. "You don't have to do this you know. I'm sure Mr. Schnee will be less than pleased when he finds out you gave away his trophy."

"I don't really care what he thinks." Ironwood said. "I'm just doing what's right." He paused for a moment. "Speaking of which, I'm going to push to get you that engine deal but I can't make any promises."

"Anything you can do would be more than enough." Ozpin said.

"I actually have another reason for coming here." Ironwood admitted. "I've been instructed to replace Ciel for the remainder of the season with one of your drivers. Full disclosure, Pyrrha was Mr. Schnee's first choice but she rejected the offer. I'm to offer Ms. Polendina's services for next season as a trade. This would go a long way toward getting those engines."

"I'll pass." Yang said immediately. "I'm happy with the team we've got here and I know you're not going to take them along too."

Ironwood nodded and looked to Weiss. "And you?" He asked.

"You know where I stand." Weiss said. "I will not drive for my father."

"I assumed as much." Ironwood said. "I'm sorry if this made you uncomfortable but I had to ask. Thank you for your time." He bowed politely and walked out.

"Yang, are you really sure?" Weiss asked after Ironwood was gone. "You could win the championship if you drive for them."

"So could you." Yang said. "We could win it here too. My father spent his whole career with this team and I intend to do the same, so long as they'll have me."

"I don't plan on going anywhere either." Ruby said.

"I'll never work for Schnee again." Blake added.

"It's pretty embarrassing to say it but I kind of like it here." Weiss said. "I'd even consider you guys my...friends."

"Stop the presses!" Yang shouted. "Weiss has a soul!"

"Hey!" Weiss protested. Everyone got a good laugh out of it.

* * *

After the race there was little laugh about. Amber was dead. The impact had broken her neck and she succumbed a few hours later in the hospital. It was two deaths in two races. Maiden Racing withdrew from the remainder of the season. But the drivers went on as they always did. There was another race to run and they were going to run it. Why not? Death was something that happened to other people.

* * *

Standings after seven races:

1st - Penny Polendina - 27

2nd - Winter Schnee - 24

2nd - Yang Xiao-Long - 24

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 24

5th - Weiss Schnee - 23

6th - Coco Adel - 14

7th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 11

8th - Sun Wukong - 8

8th - Ciel Soleil - 8

10th - Mercury Black - 6

11th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

11th - Neptune Vasilias - 3

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- The Forever Fall Forest Circuit is still based on Monza.

\- Some driver have been known to be nervous wrecks, though not quite to the degree which Penny is depicted here. For one, 1961 champion Phil Hill threw up before every race out of nervous anticipation. Once he got in the car though, he was all business and absolutely fearless. He once won a sports car road race in a car that had literally no brakes left. He coasted into the corners and bounced it off the hay bales when necessary to get it to turn.

\- Amber's accident has two inspirations. First is the fatal crash of Greg Moore at California. He spun into the grass off turn 2, and an access road tipped his car top-first toward the barrier just before impact. He was killed instantly. He was my favorite Champ Car driver and still is. The other is the road car accident that paralyzed Sir Frank Williams. F1 journalist Peter Windsor was in the passenger's seat when their rental car flipped while they were heading to Nice airport in France. Windsor was uninjured but the roof caved in atop Williams' head and broke his neck, leaving him a quadriplegic.

\- Schnee's attempts to replace Ciel are inspired by the machinations of Ferrari under Enzo's reign. He was a deplorable human being who had no concern for the well-being of his drivers and drove more to their deaths than any other owner. He never went to the track because he was afraid of seeing his precious cars damaged, so the team was left in the hands of a manager. Enzo always believed whatever his managers (always fellow Italians) told him, and he ended up driving two World Champions away from the team as a result - Phil Hill and Sir John Surtees. As a side not to emphasize Enzo's lack of a conscience, he hated to have married drivers because he felt they were less willing to die for the cause. And in 1976 when Niki Lauda, who had almost died earlier in the year, retired from the Japanese Grand Prix in insane conditions because he felt it far too dangerous, Enzo never forgave him, running him out of the team by the end of '77. It didn't matter that Lauda's incomplete reconstructive surgery meant his eyelids didn't work properly, meaning that in the rain they could not effectively clear water and he was almost blind.

\- If you want to learn more about the drivers' mindset in the era as it relates to death, or Enzo Ferrari's depravity for that matter, I suggest reading (or listening to the audiobook of) _The Limit_ by Michael Cannell. If you have any interest in racing at all you'll enjoy it.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The engine deal dramas between Beacon/Juniper and Schnee are more typical of modern F1. In the early days, teams that built their own engines like Ferrari almost never made them available to others. Customer engines were very common, made by third parties and sold to anyone with the cash. In recent years both Ferrari and Mercedes have refused to provide engines for Red Bull because with a decent engine the Red Bulls designed by the brilliant Adrian Newey would likely crush the competition as they did before Renault forgot how to build motors.

\- There were no fatal accidents at Monza in 1966.


	14. Mountain Glenn GP

**Author's Note:** This is my favorite chapter of the story and one of my favorite chapters of anything I've ever written. I eagerly await your reactions.

Chapter 14

 _13 Years Ago_

Taiyang and Summer loved the Mountain Glenn Grand Prix. It was a big hit among the drivers in general. For one, it was the richest purse on the calendar by a wide margin. The scenery also happened to be beautiful. Perched atop a hill overlooking a lake, the Mountain Glenn Grand Prix Course was set in a clearing surrounded by trees. With the race held at the beginning of Fall, the trees were full of color as the leaves began to change. But what really interested Taiyang and Summer was the wine. Mountain Glenn was not as well know a wine-producing region as Vytal but in their estimation it was even better. Dozens of wineries dotted the hills all around the track. The pair arrived a week before the race and spent the time drinking and taking in the scenery. It was a rare opportunity to spend time together without having to worry about racing or the kids.

As much fun as they had, once it was time to race they were all business. It was the final race of the season and the pair were first and second in points. Taiyang had a one point advantage but a tiebreaker would go to Summer. They qualified first and second and when the race started they pulled out a sizable gap over the rest of the runners. Taiyang wanted it badly. He had dominated the previous season, winning twice as many races as any other driver, but lost out on the title to Summer due to several DNFs. This year it was closer, but he felt owed.

At the halfway mark it looked like it was all over. Heading uphill through the esses, just after the pits, Taiyang's engine cut out. He coasted to a stop and it refused to refire. It hardly mattered anyway, he was so far behind that he would never catch up even if it did. He got out of the car, leaving it on the side of the track, and returned to the pits. Summer was not one to gloat, but just knowing he had lost out to her again was unbearable.

A few laps later Summer made an unscheduled pit stop. The look on her face said it all. Her race was over too. The engine was audibly missing and it would only be a matter of time before it failed completely. She got out of the car and hugged Taiyang. "Congrats champ." She said.

"It's a shame I had to win this way." Taiyang said. "I was looking forward to battling it out on track."

"It would have been nice." Summer said. "I guess we can't win them all."

"I guess." Taiyang said. "It's been a hell of a year. You were amazing."

"You were pretty good yourself." Summer said. "I'll get you next year though."

"I won't just lay down and let you have it." Taiyang said.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Summer said.

The next year Taiyang would be champion again, but there would be no joy.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The track at Mountain Glenn was a drastic shift from those that preceded it on the schedule. They had been all about power and speed but Mountain Glenn put a premium on handling as well. It was still fast but not nearly as fast as Forever Fall or Emerald Forest, or even Menagerie. The drivers were relieved by the change. After a string of terrible accidents they were eager to race at a thoroughly modern circuit that did not have kilometers long straights and insane speed.

The track was also something of an unknown. Formula 1 had been going to Mountain Glenn for years, but the track was newly and completely remodeled. Even the start/finish line and the pit straight had been moved. What the drivers certainly liked was that the circuit was surrounded by a robust armco barrier, a far cry from the dirt banks and thin ribbons of metal common elsewhere. A few of the corners even had real runoff area, a chance to slow down before slamming into something. Mistral this was not.

"We've got to win this race." Weiss said. "If we're going to have any shot at the title we need this one. We can't go to Atlas and let Schnee Automotive have the lead and homefield advantage."

"This track is ideal for us." Yang said. "If we can keep Pyrrha behind us, one of us will win. I don't think the track suits the Schnee cars either."

"As long as it doesn't rain, I'm not too worried about Pyrrha." Blake said. "This track is still fast enough that we should have a solid advantage on her."

"Any thoughts Ruby?" Yang asked.

"This track is really pretty." Ruby said. "I can see why dad loved it so much."

"And I can see why uncle Qrow loved it so much." Yang said. She pointed to a box in the corner of the room. "Normally the winner is the only one to get free booze."

"Can we please focus?" Blake cut in. "We need a strategy here. The easiest way to lose this race is to get in each other's' way. You two are almost tied in points. How are we going to work this?"

"I would say let us race and find out, but you make a good point." Yang said. "The last thing we need is to wreck each other or destroy the equipment by pushing too hard fighting one another."

"First into turn 1 then?" Weiss suggested.

"It might be a bit presumptuous to be strategizing like this before we've even had a practice session, but I can support that." Yang said.

* * *

Friday's practices went about the way Beacon GP expected. Yang led Weiss in the first session and Weiss led Yang in the second. Pyrrha was a close third in both with Penny not far behind. After that it was a chaotic mix of Coffee Inc., Phase Two, Haven Racing Team and Ciel. It was not out of the question that Penny could fall out of the points if she had the slightest bad luck. Beacon GP, and Pyrrha for that matter, needed to take the fight to her and now was their chance.

After a long day at the track, most of the drivers headed to the Lake Lodge. It's main purpose was as a hotel made up of a series of quaint log cabins, but that was not why the drivers were interested. They were there for the bar. The walls and even the ceiling of the bar were covered in memorabilia from races past and every year the drivers added to what was becoming a museum of the sport. It was a chance to unwind most of the drivers sorely needed.

Unfortunately, as was always the case, a few unwound a little too much. Weiss stood at the bar, getting drinks for she and Yang. Yang got her usual Strawberry Sunrise and Weiss got a glass of wine. Cardin approached, visibly drunk. "How about you and me go somewhere and have some fun?" He slurred.

"Leave me alone." Weiss said without even looking at him.

"Huh, I guess you really are the Ice Queen." Cardin laughed.

"Excuse me?" Weiss demanded.

"Only someone with a frozen heart could leave her sister and her teammate to burn on the side of the road." Cardin hissed. Weiss turned and slapped him. "You bitch!"

Cardin reared back to throw a punch but was too drunk to do it quickly. Weiss ducked as Cardin stumbled forward. With her head between his legs she stood up, flipping him over, back-first onto the bar. He bounced off and slid down behind it. Sky, also drunk, lunged at Weiss from the side. Yang arrived just in time, planting her shoulder in his gut and driving him into the bar. Yang followed up with an uppercut, then a punch to the stomach. Sky doubled over and Yang grabbed him by the back of his collar and his belt, spun him around and slammed his head into the bar. Cardin staggered to his feet and attempted to get back in the fight but Weiss grabbed him by the head with both hands and slammed his face into the top of the bar. He fell to the ground, joining his teammate in unconsciousness.

Weiss and Yang hi-fived. "Takin' out the trash." Yang said.

The bartender, and older balding man, glared at them. "I think we're in trouble." Weiss said.

Suddenly the bartender's expression changed. "You really showed those assholes." The bartender said with a big smile. "Your drinks are on me tonight." He looked around. "Now could somebody drag these idiots outside?!" He shouted. A pair of locals took the task, being extra rough. "I love it when you drivers show up. No only do you give the best tips, you never fail to put on a show."

* * *

Saturday morning's practice went much like the previous two, this time with Yang in front. Even so it was too close to call. It would all come down to time trials. In qualifying, the excitement usually came in the final minutes of the session when the track was at its fastest and the drivers routinely laid down faster and faster times. This time the excitement came much earlier on and for a much different reason.

Pyrrha rounded turn 11 and powered onto the start/finish straight. She crossed the line to begin her fast lap, a clear track in front of her. She upshifted and it all went wrong. The sudden surge in power snapped her defective left half-shaft and her car veered left into the armco that lined the track, shedding wheels and body panels as it scraped along. Just behind her, Jaune slowed to avoid the crash but Flynt Coal did not and plowed into the back of him. Jaune's car spun into the concrete wall that separated the track from the pits, throwing more debris up as it slid along. Flynt's steering was broken by the impact with Jaune and his car continued on. He locked up the brakes but the car smacked the right-side wall, shearing that side off the car.

Penny was next to the scene of the carnage. She blindly drove into the cloud of smoke and debris and shot out the other side. For a moment it looked as if she had gotten through unscathed but her car hooked left and hit the armco. The throttle was hung wide-open and the car ground along the barrier. The left-side fuel tank was almost immediately punctured, and with the car generating sparks from its metal-on-metal contact with the armco, it burst into flames. Penny's car continued on, trailing a wall of flames as it went. With only one working drive wheel and the friction with the armco, it slowed considerably before making gentle contact with the barrier at the far end of turn 1. The engine screamed, still revving to maximum RPMs as the car sat stationary until it finally tore itself apart seconds later.

The session was red flagged immediately. The crews and pit safety workers rushed across the track to fight the fire that had caught the grass on both sides of the armco, threatening the spectators just beyond. The fuel tank had drained before Penny's car reached its resting point, so her car was not engulfed. As a result, the workers ignored it. Not Ruby. She could see that while the other drivers had gotten out in a hurry, Penny had remained slumped against the steering wheel. Ruby rushed to Penny's side. Her helmet was cracked with an ominous black mark right above the brim on the right side. A piece of debris, apparently a tire, had struck her.

Blood was gushing from a wound on Penny's forehead. It was deep and wide enough to see her skull. The fact that blood was still pumping was a good sign at least. Ruby pulled her back off the steering wheel and was able to see that she was breathing too. Penny's eyes fluttered then opened.

"Penny?" Ruby said nervously. Penny let out a blood-curdling scream. Looking at the blood on her hands and all around the cockpit she kept screaming. "Penny, calm down, I'm here." Ruby implored.

Penny stopped screaming but kept hyperventilating, a look of sheer terror on her face. "Ru...Ru...Ru...Ru...Ru…" She kept saying frantically.

"Penny, you're going to be alright." Ruby said. "We need to get you out of the car."

"I...I don't...I...I don't want to die." Penny stammered. She seemed entirely unable to help herself out and Ruby was not strong enough to do it for her. "He...help...me."

Ruby looked around and there was no one near them. The safety workers and crews were still fighting the fire and even the fans had fled the flames. Ruby was desperate. She reached down and undid Penny's belts. Putting her arms under Penny's, Ruby tried to lift her from the car but she was not strong enough. She stood again. "Someone help us!" She screamed. "Someone please!"

Pyrrha was sitting on the pit wall, trying to gather herself after what had been a hard impact. She heard yelling over the general din and looked down toward the first turn. Why was Penny still in her car? Ruby was beside her, yelling and gesturing frantically. Something was obviously wrong. Still a little unsteady on her feet, Pyrrha rushed to the scene as fast as she could manage. Ruby had blood on her hands and overalls. Penny she was soaked in blood. Pyrrha understood the situation immediately, even if Ruby was too frantic to explain it. She jumped over Penny's car to driver's left and grabbed Penny under one of her shoulders. "Ruby, lift her with me." Pyrrha commanded. Ruby took Penny's other shoulder and together the pair lifted her out. Once free of the car, Pyrrha pulled Penny over, laying her down in the grass beyond a convenient gap in the barrier. Penny still looked terrified, like she did not know what was happening.

Blake spotted Pyrrha sprinting to Penny's car. Ruby was already there and Penny was still inside. Blake knew she must have been injured. She gave up fighting the fire and ran up the track. An ambulance was waiting near where the initial impact had taken place. She got their attention and directed the medics down the track.

Ruby tried to comfort Penny but she would not calm down. Her precision driving could make her seem robotic at times, but Penny was very much flesh and blood. The ambulance arrived, and Penny was loaded onto a stretcher. That only seemed to increase her anxiety and she began babbling incoherently. "I need to go with her." Ruby said to Pyrrha. "Tell my team." She followed Penny into the ambulance and it headed straight for the hospital.

* * *

"Ruby went to the hospital with Penny." Pyrrha said. No one at Beacon GP looked all that surprised. "I hope it doesn't ruin qualifying for you if they restart the session."

"It's not a problem." Yang said. "The cars are good and Blake can make any minor adjustments we need." Something in Pyrrha's facial expression had Yang concerned. "Pyrrha, are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine." Pyrrha said.

"You're not." Weiss said. "And you're a bad liar."

"I feel like this whole thing is my fault." Pyrrha said. "If I could have reacted quicker and kept the car out of the armco, none of this would have happened. If Penny di...if she doesn't make it, I don't think I could live with myself."

"Don't be stupid." Blake said. Pyrrha was taken aback. "It's obvious that your car broke. There are some things you can't control. Don't go blaming yourself for something that obviously wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, and as quick as you are, I doubt it would've been humanly possible to react any faster." Yang said. "And you never could have predicted that Jaune and Flynt would crash too. That definitely wasn't your fault."

"I guess you're right, but I still feel terrible." Pyrrha sighed. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Get back in the car and race." Weiss said. "Then when Penny recovers buy her dinner or something. Stop worrying about it. You can still win the title and if you lose because of this Penny's going to feel guilty about it."

"Thanks." Pyrrha said. She managed a faint smile. "I should get back to my team. I'm sure they could use my help with the repairs."

* * *

After almost an hour of track clearing and armco repairs, time trials got back underway. Schnee Automotive withdrew from the race leaving just 16 cars. With the three others taken out in the crash, the remaining field was down to 13 for the remainder of the session. As the clock ticked down Yang headed the session from Weiss. Pyrrha's time was third but she would not be improving it, nor would Penny's in fourth mean anything. How things would shake out behind them was still to be decided however.

Yang knew Weiss was not going to just accept second place. She would have to improve her time on her last run or risk losing the pole. She powered out of turn 11, crossed under the pedestrian bridge and flashed across the line to start her lap. The end of the straight was steeply downhill, leading into a sharp, right-angle right-hander that was slightly banked to the drivers' advantage. Yang slid the car through the turn and onto the short straight that had once been the start/finish straight. The track climbed uphill, growing more steep as Yang slung the car through the right-left-right of the esses, turns 2-4. She was nearly flat-out and rocketed onto the back straight.

The long uphill run of the back straight leveled off and Yang braked for turn 5, a sweeping, downhill, banked right-hander. The car oversteered but Yang held it and powered downhill toward the new section of the track, known as The Boot. The first corner, turn 6, was best described as the shin when using the boot analogy, a tight downhill left. She powered down the straightaway that led to the toe of The Boot, a sharp, uphill and banked right-hander. She spun the tires on exit as the car scrambled uphill. She crested the rise and waited a few moments before braking for the heel, the tightest corner in the section. It was a sharp right that was off-chamber. The car oversteered badly but she saved it. Then it was steeply downhill and back up into turn 9 where the new addition rejoined the old track. She slid the car wide, using all the track on exit and was almost immediately in turn 10. She swept through the left-hander and out onto the short straight before 11. Turn 11 was a slightly banked right-hander and Yang got it exactly right, roaring onto the start/finish straight and across the line to complete her lap.

Weiss did indeed improve her time but Yang did as well, taking the pole. Coco took third and Pyrrha's time was good for fourth. Sun qualified fifth, followed by Neptune, Mercury, Emerald and Yatsuhashi. Yang and Weiss had prime position on the grid but the run down into turn 1 would be long. A lot could happen by the time they arrived. Still, it was better than being in the back.

* * *

Race day was sunny and cool. Ruby had returned to the track that morning. Penny was alive but not out of the woods yet. Though her blood loss had been alarming it was a problem easily fixed. Her severe head injuries were another story. The doctors had put her in an induced coma to prevent brain damage. There was no time table for her recovery or any idea how complete it might be. Her skull had been fractured and the doctors were unable to properly assess the damage beneath. Her right orbital was also broken and her eye only just missed being crushed. Ruby had wanted to stay with her, but since Penny was unconscious there was really no point. In any case, Ironwood and Ciel took over at her bedside and insisted Ruby return to the track.

The cars rolled around for their parade lap and took their spots on the grid. The starter, positioned in an elevated platform rather than on the track as was traditional, raised the green flag and the drivers revved their engines. The flag was waved and they were off. Yang was a split-second off on the start, giving Weiss the chance to match her as they ran down the straight. They had agreed that the first to turn 1 would have the lead, but they had not anticipated a tie. They were going to race for it.

Weiss drove her car as deep into turn 1 as she dared and Yang did the same to her left. Weiss had the inside line but too much speed. She slid wide, forcing Yang out into the grass at corner exit. Weiss' bad angle meant she got a bad exit and held up Coco on the outside. Pyrrha had taken a more traditional line through the corner, dove to the inside and floored it. Coco braked and moved right to avoid Weiss, allowing Yang to get in behind her teammate. Weiss and Pyrrha ran side-by-side toward the Esses, but Pyrrha had the preferred line and Weiss had to yield. She slotted into second with Yang just behind.

The red mist descended. Yang was furious. Even if they had reached the corner at the same time, as the pole sitter it should have been hers. Then Weiss ran her off the track. She checked her mirrors. Coco's evasive maneuvers had held up the rest of the field considerably. She was right on Weiss' tail as they climbed the hill. Now was the perfect time to make a pass. Yang dove to the right at the last second, much to Weiss' surprise. Weiss had to let Yang through but Yang had misjudged the corner. She slid to the outside of the track and Weiss dove back past on the inside. There would not be another realistic passing opportunity until the heel of The Boot, so Yang fell in line and bided her time.

Weiss protected the inside line in the next two corners, though Yang made no attempt to pass. Taking poor lines allowed Pyrrha to build her lead. Weiss blocked the inside in the heel as well so Yang tried to go around the outside. Weiss had not expected the move, and certainly never dreamed it could work, but the two exited the corner side-by-side. Weiss had to take a much tighter line than she wanted and oversteered badly. Yang slid too wide and dipped her left-rear into the grass and almost spun. The net result was that Weiss held onto the position and Pyrrha drove away. Now Coco and the rest were right on the back of Yang. She decided it was time to settle down and pull a gap before trying to pass again.

Pyrrha had built a big lead on that first lap as Yang and Weiss battled, and over the next few circuits it held. Weiss and Yang were easily able to pull away from Coco and the others but Pyrrha was laying down times just as fast as they were. It was incredibly frustrating. It was not all sunshine and rainbows for Pyrrha though. As the laps ticked off it was becoming clear to her that she was pushing too hard to maintain the gap. Her tires were wearing and the brakes started to feel soft. If she was going to finish, she would have to slow down.

Heading down the back straight on lap 27 of 60, Sun got a good run on Coco. He pulled to the right and the two braked for turn 5 side-by-side. Sun completed the pass and with Coco forced to the outside, Neptune slipped by too. Coco got back in line behind them but the Haven Racing Team pair was fast. They were not fast enough to catch Weiss and Yang, but fast enough to pull away from the rest. Meanwhile, at the front, Weiss and Yang were beginning to eat into Pyrrha's lead. It was only fractions of a second per lap but they were gaining and would catch up soon.

Then Yang's anger got the best of her. She was still fuming about Weiss' turn 1 move and not about to let her finish ahead. On lap 37 Yang hung back to get a run off of turn 11. The cars roared down into turn 1 and Yang dove to the inside. She could easily have completed the move cleanly but ran extra wide to make a point. Weiss had to slam on her brakes to avoid being run off the track. Now Weiss was angry too. She followed Yang through the Esses and up the back straight. She closed around turn 5 and into The Boot. On entry to the heel Weiss was almost touching the back of Yang's car. When Yang braked for the corner, Weiss was. The two cars made light contact but it was enough to upset both. Yang ran wide, taking a wild slide through the grass before skidding back onto the track perpendicular to the direction of travel. Weiss did a complete spin in the middle of the corner and kept going. After sitting still for a second, Yang got going again as well. They had not lost any positions but they had lost a ton of time. The only way they would be able to catch Pyrrha was if she had some sort of problem.

Pyrrha did not have a problem. On worn tires and failing brakes she nursed the car home to victory. Weiss finished second, followed by Yang, both a considerable distance back. The points paying positions were filled out by Sun, Neptune and Coco. The race was over but the drama was just beginning. Yang and Weiss said nothing to each other on their way to the podium. After the national anthems of Mistral and Vale were played for the winning driver and team respectively, the top three finishers were handed their trophies and bottles of champagne. Pyrrha opened her bottle calmly and took a swig before raising it and her trophy over her head in triumph. Yang shook up her bottle, fired the cork just wide of Weiss' head, then proceeded to spray her teammate in the face until there was nothing left to spray. After overcoming the initial shock, Weiss placed her trophy and champagne on the ground. She took a deep breath, then screamed and charged at Yang, tackling her to the ground. The pair grappled with each other, rolling around on the podium platform, until Pyrrha and Glynda separated them.

Ozpin arrived in moments to escort his enraged drivers back to their garage. He was careful to keep himself between them as they walked. "You tried to run me off the track!" Weiss shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm your teammate!"

"You did run me off the track!" Yang countered. "I won the pole so I was supposed to have turn 1, but you put me in the grass! They you intentionally tried to wreck me!"

Ozpin had heard enough. "You should both be ashamed!" He admonished. "The immaturity you both displayed today is entirely unacceptable. You're lucky I'm the one running the team because most owners would fire you both after a display like that. You should have come out of this race first and second in the championship, but now you're both behind because you couldn't play nice."

"I...she!" Weiss tried to protest.

"I'm sorry." Yang said. "I was an idiot. I should know better."

Weiss sighed. "Me too." She said.

"Don't apologize to me." Ozpin said. "Apologize to each other." They were just arriving at the garage. "And apologize to the crew. You cost them the race."

"I'm sorry Weiss, I shouldn't have forced you wide." Yang said.

"And I'm sorry for retaliating." Weiss said. "On the first lap, I promise, I didn't do that on purpose. I just got the corner wrong."

"I know." Yang said. "And I'm sorry to Ruby and Blake and everyone who works on the cars. Drinks are on me tonight."

"And the food's on me." Weiss added.

"So you went from trying to claw each other's eyes out to being friends again and buying everyone dinner in the time it took to walk her from the podium?" Ruby asked. "What did Ozpin say to you?"

"He just pointed out how stupid we both were." Weiss said. "I'm so embarrassed."

"I really didn't think we'd make it this far into the season without you two killing each other." Blake said. "I guess miracles happen."

* * *

Standings after eight races:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 33

2nd - Weiss Schnee - 29

3rd - Yang Xiao-Long - 28

4th - Penny Polendina - 27

5th - Winter Schnee - 24

6th - Coco Adel - 15

7th - Sun Wukong - 11

7th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 11

9th - Ciel Soleil - 8

10th - Mercury Black - 6

11th - Neptune Vasilias - 5

12th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Mountain Glenn is based on Watkins Glen.

\- The Lake Lodge is based on the Seneca Lodge.

\- Penny's accident is based on any number of open wheel accidents over the years. I suppose it's most closely based on Felipe Massa's incident at the Hungaroring in 2009.

\- Yang and Weiss' podium fight is based on the fight between Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers after the 1979 Daytona 500. Cale and Donnie Allison had cost each other the race, but they still finished 4th and 5th.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- The flashback layout of the track is accurate, but the Present Day (1966) one is not. The track did not take on the described configuration until 1971. I know the newer circuit much better and have actually driven it.

\- I'm not aware of any bar fights involving F1 drivers. I would not rule it out though.

\- I'm not aware of any podium fights involving F1 drivers. I would rule it out though.


	15. Atlas GP

**Author's Note:** The previous chapter may have been my favorite, but this is #2. It may be the finale, but I'm working on (and will soon be posting) a sequel that takes place 5 years later called _Formula RWBY_.

* * *

Chapter 15

 _One Week Before the Atlas Grand Prix_

"How is Penny?" Mr. Schnee asked. It had been two weeks since Mountain Glenn.

"She's conscious." Ironwood replied. "The doctors expect her to recover. She's just...she's traumatized. I don't think that will get better."

"From a little bump to the head?" Mr. Schnee scoffed. "Then she's not fit to drive."

"Sir, it was not a little bump." Ironwood said. "She very nearly died."

"But she didn't." Mr. Schnee said. "And you still withdrew from the race."

"It was the right thing to do." Ironwood said.

"We have a constructor's championship on the line!" Mr. Schnee shouted. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that it was the right thing to do." Ironwood persisted. "And Ciel wasn't fast enough to score points anyway. There was no reason to put everyone through it."

"Do you plan to race this weekend?" Mr. Schnee asked.

"No." Ironwood replied. "Like I said, Ciel isn't fast enough. No one we can get for the race will be anyway."

"I am." Winter said.

"How long have you been here?" Mr. Schnee asked.

"Not long." Winter answered. "The doctors say my arm is healed."

"Are you sure?" Ironwood asked. "There's no sense in rushing back and making things worse. We need you healthy for next year."

"I'm fine." Winter assured him. "Besides, I can still win the driver's title. There's too much on the line not to race."

"I guess we're racing then." Ironwood said. "I assume Ciel is a suitable teammate?"

"Of course." Winter said. "My teammate is irrelevant. I'm going to win the race and there's not a driver out there who can stop me."

* * *

 _Present Day_

"Thank you all for visiting me." Penny said. Ruby, Blake, Yang and Weiss crowded into her hospital room. She had been moved to Atlas as soon as the doctors determined it was safe and this was their first good chance to see her after her accident. "It's been very lonely."

"You don't get many visitors?" Ruby asked.

"So far only Mr. Ironwood, Winter and Ciel have come to see me." Penny said. "Winter and Ciel have been busy getting ready for the race so only Mr. Ironwood comes regularly and his visits are usually short. He says Mr. Schnee is too busy to visit."

"He's not." Weiss sighed. "He just doesn't care. To him drivers are interchangeable parts. He wouldn't even care about Winter if she wasn't so fast. He's always been more worried about his cars than their pilots."

"Weiss, could you try to not be depressing here?" Yang said. "We're just happy you're alright Penny. We were all really scared for you."

"Is Pyrrha alright?" Penny asked. The two were very similar in that they were always more concerned with the well being of others. "She sent me flowers and called me. She kept apologizing like this was her fault. I tried to tell her it wasn't and that she shouldn't blame herself, but I don't think I changed her mind."

"We had the same discussion with her too." Blake said. "She's a stubborn one."

"So when do you think we'll see you back in the car?" Yang asked. "It's not the same out there without you."

Penny's mood darkened. "I...I don't think I'll be coming back." Penny sighed. "When Tukson and Amber died, at least I could say it would never happen to me. Now though...I don't think I can keep lying to myself. I'm pretty good with engines, but I don't think I'll be driving anymore."

"Don't give up." Ruby encouraged. "Maybe one day you'll feel differently. I just want you to be happy."

"Mr. Ironwood said the same thing." Penny said. "I'll definitely give it some thought. It was really fun to race and meet all of you. Whatever happens now I'm glad I did it."

* * *

The Atlas Circuit was something of an oddity. Half of it mirrored Forever Fall with long straights and sweeping turns. The other half was a tight and twisting as any track could be. One of the reason for the track's split-personality was it's multi-purpose nature. The fast sections were part of a oval track, used for the kind of racing more popular in Vacuo. The two longest straights and the sweeping, banked final curve were both part of the oval. To be fast would require the complete package of chassis, engine and driver. It was no surprise then that Winter dominated the practice sessions. Yang and Weiss were close but Winter was in another league. Coffee Inc. and Phase Two may have had the engines, but they lacked the chassis to properly compete and were comprehensively outdone by Haven Racing Team. Pyrrha was behind them, fast in the winding parts of the track but painfully slow on the straights. Ciel would be lucky to crack the top 10, let alone score. Heading into time trials it looked as though the race would come down to Winter and the year's impressive crop of rookies.

Winter blew everyone away with her first qualifying lap. It was significantly quicker than any lap anyone, herself included, had set all weekend. She pulled into the garage and waited to see what the rest of the field had for her, but they never really rose to the challenge. The real fight would be for second.

Yang took to the track near the end of the session. She was a few tenths adrift of Weiss for the all-important second position. Even if Winter won the race, if one of the pair finished second, they would beat her. With Pyrrha as slow as she was it looked as if Winter was the only one they needed to worry about. Yang wound up her car through the final corner, Pear Tree. She roared onto the long start/finish straight. The straightaway was over a kilometer long, nothing like those at Vytal or Mistral, but given the speed cars already had by the time they started it, it could be just as fearsome. The first corner was one of the trickiest anywhere in the world. Yang braked then coasted through the right-hand corner as it continuously tightened until it was finally punctuated by an extremely sharp right followed immediately by a left that was just as tight. Yang slid her car through what was effectively a chicane and accelerated onto the backstretch.

Yang braked considerably for turn 4, a sweeping left. Along with turn 5 it was called the Lake Complex. She wrestled the car through the corner, keeping it all the way to the left side of the track. After an incredibly short straight it was time for turn 5. She braked hard for the tight right-hander, took a good line and got a fast exit onto the decently long straight that followed. Reaching the end, Yang braked hard, harder than anywhere else on the track. Turn six, The Hairpin, was highly-banked and the tightest turn anywhere other than the streets of Vale. She hit the throttle and got too much wheelspin, but got the car under control and blasted off toward the Esses. Left, right, left, right, left, right, left. The Esses were a seemingly never-ending series of corners with widely varying angles and tightnesses. This was the part of the track where Yang could really make up time on Winter and the cars with more powerful engines. Yang launched out of the final Ess and onto the Oval Straight. She braked lightly for Pear Tree and got as good a run as possible out onto the start/finish straight. She flashed across the line to complete her lap.

Yang's lap was not fast enough to beat Weiss, though it had been very close. At the end of qualifying Winter had the top time and her sister would share the front row with her for their home race. Yang would line up beside Neptune who was having the best race of his short career, with Sun just behind her. Sixth was Coco, followed by Yatsuhashi, Emerald, Pyrrha, Mercury and Ciel.

* * *

The day of the race was cloudy and extremely humid. It seemed as if it could begin raining at any moment but the weather held off and it was still dry when the cars rolled out to the grid. This one race would decide the title and there were four drivers with a shot. The only way Pyrrha could be champion if Winter won the race was for her to score at least one point, so things were looking grim given her poor starting position. Yang would need to get the better of Weiss and finish at least second or else lose the title. Weiss just needed to hold her position, even if Winter won. Winter had to win and needed help. It was a strange position for Winter. She was the two-time defending champion and in both of her title seasons she had clinched with multiple races left. Atlas had just been a victory lap. Now everything was on the line and she did not even control her own destiny.

The drivers' meeting before the race had been more crowded than usual. It was packed with the drivers, team owners, track and series officials. For the first time in many years the title race was truly competitive and everyone wanted to ensure there would be no manipulation of the result. Ironwood promised Ciel would stay out of the way. Glynda did the same for Jaune. Ozpin vowed that he would allow his drivers to race rather than dictating their finishing positions. Everyone else agreed not to do anything stupid. The penalties for failing to follow through were promised to be draconian. If the championship contenders took each other out, fine. If anyone else took them out, there would be hell to pay.

The start was going to be critical. It was very difficult to pass at this track and more often than not, the position a driver was in at the first turn was where that driver finished, barring mechanical issues or crashes. The field lined up on the grid after the parade lap and the starter raised his flag. The drivers only had to wait seconds but it felt like an eternity. The flag dropped and the cars roared away. Winter got a perfect start and her more powerful engine gave her a clean run into the lead. Weiss and Yang both got good starts, but with Weiss clearly ahead Yang was forced to yield. Neptune and Sun had to fight off challenges from Coco and the other cars with better engines, but their superior handling proved enough to keep them in position in turn 1. Pyrrha fell back behind Mercury and Ciel and almost lost out to a hard charging Neon, but managed to stop the bleeding in the first corner. She even managed to round up Ciel for tenth.

The cars pretty much held their positions during the next several laps. Winter drove off into the distance as Weiss and Yang ran nose-to-tail, too similar in speed for either to gain a real advantage. Pyrrha managed to move up to ninth as Mercury's engine began to sour, but in front of her Emerald was just too quick in a straight line. Just about the only thing of note that happened was that Jaune clipped one of the tires half-buried in the ground inside a corner in the Esses. The impact flipped him over and he skidded along the track that way until his car reached the grass and flipped back over. He finished his season just as it had started, in an embarrassing crash.

The turning point of the race came with under twenty of the schedule 65 laps remaining. The skies, threatening all day, finally opened up in a steady rain that quickly soaked the circuit. The drivers had a choice to make. The race was almost over and they could stay out on dry tires. They would have much less grip but not lose time pitting. Alternatively they could pit for rain tires and hope to gain enough speed to overcome the time given up by stopping.

Winter drove on in the rain. She was confident. She knew the track and knew that with her big lead there was no reason to risk a stop. Weiss followed her sister. She was in the position she needed to be champion and not about to give it up. Yang dove into the pits. She needed to pass Weiss and was not going to be able without some strategy. Neptune pit but Sun stayed out, and Coco and Yatsuhashi matched that split strategy. Emerald remained on the track and Pyrrha came in for rain tires. The other cars still running pit as well, with the lone exception of Ciel. Ciel remained on track, hoping to hold up Yang and Pyrrha enough to ensure Winter would win the title.

Once the pit stops were over the running order was Winter, Weiss, Sun, Yatsuhashi, Emerald, Ciel, Yang, Neptune, Coco and Pyrrha with just fifteen laps remaining. The first four may as well have been driving on ice, but they had a decent margin over those who had stopped. Ciel should have stopped. She spun off the track in the Lake Complex and ended up stuck in the mud. With 13 laps remaining Yang and Neptune passed Emerald; Coco and Pyrrha doing so the following lap. With 10 to go it was Yatsuhashi's turn. Yang flew past on entry to the first corner and Neptune got him in the Esses. Coco and Pyrrha caught up in Pear Tree and passed him by the time they reached turn 1. With 5 laps remaining Yang finally caught Sun. She made quick work of him in The Hairpin and set off in pursuit of Weiss, still several seconds ahead.

As the final lap started, Yang had Weiss in her sights. Winter was long gone in the lead but even a win would not be enough if one of the pair ran runner-up. Winter crossed the line to take the victory as Weiss and Yang exited the Esses. Winter would finish with 33 points. Yang was close and followed her teammate down the Oval Straight. When they got to Pear Tree, it was a foregone conclusion. Yang flew around Weiss on the outside to take second. She rounded the corner without incident to finish in second place, with a season total of 34 points. Weiss came home in third to bring her total to 33. Sun finished fourth and Neptune fifth.

In the Beacon GP garage there was wild celebration. Yang had defeated Winter to take it! The mighty Schnee Automotive had been brought down and at their home race no less! Then the cheering turned to stunned silence. Shortly after Neptune exited Pear Tree and crossed the line, Pyrrha rounded the turn, Coco nowhere to be seen. As it was, her engine had failed at the exit of The Hairpin. Pyrrha finished sixth, scoring one point, taking her total to 34. The first tiebreaker was wins. She and Yang were level at two. The second tiebreaker was second place finishes. They were tied at one. The third tiebreaker was third place finishes. Yang had one. Pyrrha had two.

Team Juniper went wild. At the start of the season they had never imagined it could be possible. They took the driver's championship, a first for Pyrrha and the team. Even Ren could not help but join in the celebration, even if he was far more subdued than the absolutely ecstatic Nora.

Pyrrha drove down the pit lane and came to a stop before her garage. It had been a trying race and a trying season, and she was glad it was over. She switched off the engine and prepared to climb from the car. Nora rushed to the car and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You did it!" Nora yelled before jumping around some more.

"I did what?" Pyrrha asked.

"You won the championship!" Glynda cheered. "What are you doing here? You should be in the winner's circle!"

Pyrrha was flabbergasted. She did not even know exactly where she had finished and now she was being hailed as champion. It was the best surprise she could have hoped for. She tried to refire the engine to drive to the winner's circle but it would not start. She hurriedly undid her belts and jumped out before sprinting for the podium. She was exhausted and soaking wet, but she was champion.

Yang pulled to a stop near the podium. She got out of her car and held her hands high. "Did I do it?" She asked. "Am I champion?" No one around seemed to know.

"I'll get you next year." Weiss said with a smile. They were still rivals, but friendly rivals now. It was difficult for Weiss, coming so close only to be edged out at the last moment, but she was determined not to be a sore loser.

"Great driving Xiao-Long." Winter said. "I'm sure your father's proud of you. Your mother would be too."

Yang was just about to ready start celebrating when she saw Pyrrha running toward them. A short distance behind was the rest of her team and they looked positively jubilant. "I'm not the champion, am I?" She asked. No one answered. Finally one of the officials came over and broke the news. Yang was devastated. Now she knew exactly how her father had felt losing to Summer and how Weiss and Winter must have felt now.

* * *

As the rain continued to fall the top three were called to the podium. The national anthem of Atlas played and the drivers were given their trophies for the race. They were asked to hold off on the champagne. Ironwood was already there for the team win in the race and was presented with the Constructor's Championship Trophy. Schnee Automotive beat Beacon GP by a single point, 68 to 67. Next, it was time for the presentation of the World Driver's Championship Trophy. Winter, Yang and Weiss graciously stepped aside as Pyrrha stood atop the podium. Pyrrha stood there with tears in her eyes as the national anthem of Mistral played. It was the most unexpected of outcomes to all involved.

Pyrrha was handed her trophy and a bottle of champagne. She held them aloft. "This is for Penny Polendina!" She shouted. "I hope you'll be back soon!"

Penny, watching from her hospital bed, could not have been more excited for both Pyrrha's success and the shoutout. It seemed she had another friend at the track. Maybe she would come back, even if it was not to drive.

Yang, Weiss, and even Ironwood shook up their bottles of champagne, popped the corks and gave Pyrrha a good drenching. Given that she was soaked from the rain she could barely notice. Unlike in Mountain Glenn the spraying was all in good fun. After taking it in for a moment Pyrrha shook up her bottle and sprayed the others before spraying what remained over the cheering crowd below.

"Congratulations Pyrrha, you absolutely deserve this." Yang said. Pyrrha held out her hand to shake but Yang pulled her in for a hug. "I won't make it so easy on you next year."

"You did an amazing job." Weiss added, slapping Pyrrha on the back. "I'm so happy for you."

"I'm sure both of you have championships in your future." Pyrrha said. "I still can't believe I won. I never dreamed this day would come, and so soon!"

Winter walked over with a stern look. She had dominated the season before her injury and looked like she would be the runaway champion. Then she came back before her arm was fully healed and drove in excruciating pain, winning the race but losing the title. She could not have been in the best of moods. Pyrrha, Yang and Weiss looked at her, beginning to fear her reaction. Winter smiled and laughed. "How can I be mad?" She laughed. "You were all wonderful this year. I'm looking forward to seeing if you can keep it up."

"Next year I will beat you." Weiss declared. She had technically tied her sister but lost the tiebreaker.

"You can try." Winter teased. "I'm more worried about Xiao-Long and Nikos."

"Whoa there Winter, don't make your sister mad." Yang warned. "She's a hell of a tackler and she has a mean right hook."

"Come on now, I'm sure our teams want to celebrate with us too." Pyrrha cut in before the conversation got more antagonistic. It was a good idea. The four descended from the podium platform. They headed for Team Juniper's garage where the party was already well underway. Everyone was invited. To everyone's surprise, even the Schnee Automotive team showed up.

Ironwood arrived late to the party and looked troubled. He approached Pyrrha, Yang and Weiss who were still celebrating together. "Can I have a word with you three?" Ironwood asked.

"Of course." Pyrrha replied. "What is it?"

"Mr. Schnee has commanded that I again offer you all a seat on our team." Ironwood sighed. "His order of preference goes Nikos, Xiao-Long, Schnee."

"We all already told you we're not interested." Yang said. "My answer hasn't changed and I know Weiss' hasn't." Weiss nodded her agreement.

"I'm not interested either." Pyrrha said.

"He wanted me to point out that remaining with your current teams could have detrimental effect on your careers." Ironwood continued. Judging by the look on his face, he was not happy to be saying what he was saying. The drivers were unmoved. Ironwood sighed. "It pains me but I'll get right to it. He says neither of your teams are getting an engine deal unless one of you drives for him. He has also promised to do everything in his power to block any deals with other manufacturers. Effectively, he aims to run your teams out of business unless one of you drives for him."

"What about Penny?" Pyrrha asked. "What happens to her if one of us joins?"

"She's already been fired." Ironwood said. "Mr. Schnee wants nothing to do with her anymore. And Ciel's going back to sports cars."

"No deal." Weiss said firmly. "We'll build our own engines if we have to. After all, we've got Blake, Ren and now Penny to help us. She did say she was good with engines."

"The best if you ask me." Ironwood admitted. "I fear Mr. Schnee's strategy is very much shortsighted. Without Penny to help with next year's engine, I don't know how competitive we'll be."

"Are you trying to convince us to join your team or not?" Yang asked.

"What do you think?" Ironwood replied. "I just want you to make an informed decision."

"Not a chance." Yang said.

"Not while my father still runs things." Weiss said.

"I'm happy where I am." Pyrrha said.

"Very good." Ironwood said with a sigh of relief. "Now, if I could only get Winter to drive somewhere else."

"I hear Jaune's not all that committed." Yang suggested. "Perhaps there could be an opening at Juniper, if she were interested of course."

"And a strategist of your caliber would always be welcome with one of our teams." Weiss said.

"You really are committed to tearing down your father's empire." Ironwood mused. "Oh well, we'll see what happens. For now, enjoy your success. I'm sure there's plenty more to come." Ironwood walked away looking much happier than he had when he arrived.

"Next season sure will be interesting." Yang said.

"I know." Weiss said. "I'll make an interesting champion."

"You both need to beat me first." Pyrrha laughed. "When I get a real engine in the back of the car, look out."

* * *

Standings after nine races:

Drivers:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 34 (2-1-2)

2nd - Yang Xiao-Long - 34 (2-1-1)

3rd - Winter Schnee - 33 (3)

4th - Weiss Schnee - 33 (2)

5th - Penny Polendina - 27

6th - Coco Adel - 15

7th - Sun Wukong - 14

8th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 11

9th - Ciel Soleil - 8

10th - Neptune Vasilias - 7

11th - Mercury Black - 6

12th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

* * *

Constructors:

1st - Schnee Automotive - 68

2nd - Beacon Grand Prix - 67

3rd - Team Juniper - 34

4th - Coffee Inc. - 26

5th - Haven Racing Team - 21

6th - Phase Two - 9

* * *

END

But it's not really the end! The story will continue soon in _Formula RWBY_!

* * *

 **Inspirations**

\- Mr. Schnee's callousness is based on Enzo Ferrari. I went over it in detail a few chapters ago.

\- The Atlas Circuit is based on Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. They layout described is accurate to the time period.

\- The use of the specific word "draconian" to describe penalties that would result from manipulating the championship directly refers to 1997. Schumacher went into the final race with a one point lead over Villeneuve. If both failed to score, Schumacher would be champion. After Schumacher had taken out Damon Hill in 1994 to win the title in identical circumstances, it was promised that a repeat would result in "draconian" punishment. When Schumacher unsuccessfully tried to take Villeneuve out, his entire season was disqualified. Draconian indeed.

\- The championship scenario is based on the final race of 2008. It's too complicated to adequately explain, so watch a YouTube video or something. I've never seen a group of people go from celebrating to crying so quickly.

 **Inaccuracies and Anachronisms**

\- One of the big reasons the real-life track is so fast, one not mentioned here because of the change of setting, is because of the high altitude. The thinner air slashes drag and with today's turbo engines has little effect on the horsepower. They run Monaco wings just to get Monza downforce!

\- The race-day weather conditions are not accurate to 1966.

\- All the driver probably would have pitted for rain tires, but in 1966 the decision would not have been as simple as today. Back then, dry weather tires were not slicks, so they could theoretically run in wet conditions.

\- In 1966 only a driver's best 5 results counted towards the championship. I decided against this for three reasons. One, it's stupid. Two, plot. Three, it would make the math annoying.

\- The constructors standings were not calculated as here either. I combined the total points for all the teams' drivers as is done today. Since teams would often run more than two cars, and there were many one car entries, in 1966 only a team's best result for each race counted. The reasons for the change are the same as the above.


End file.
